Enhanced Feedback Exposure for Merchants Based on Transaction Metadata

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and apparatuses are described herein for the direct sharing and use of transaction data separately from transaction authorization processes. Transaction metadata associated with a transaction may be received and validated. Authorization information corresponding to the transaction may be received. The degree to which the transaction metadata is tested may be based on a predicted time of receipt of the authorization information. The transaction metadata and authorization information may be correlated. A computing device may determine whether to authorize the financial transaction based on the authorization information and the correlated transaction metadata. All or portions of the transaction metadata may be provided to one or more users after the transaction has been authorized or denied.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/176,663, filed Feb. 16, 2021, titled “ENHANCED FEEDBACK EXPOSURE FORMERCHANTS BASED ON TRANSACTION METADATA,”, which is related to thefollowing U.S. patent applications, filed on the same day:

-   -   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/176,642, titled “DIRECT DATA        SHARE” and filed Feb. 16, 2021;    -   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/176,648, titled “DYNAMIC        TRANSACTION METADATA VALIDATION ADJUSTMENT BASED ON NETWORK        CONDITIONS” and filed Feb. 16, 2021;    -   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/176,668, titled “PARALLEL        TRANSACTION PRE-AUTHORIZATION PLATFORM” and filed Feb. 16, 2021;    -   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/176,673, titled “TRANSACTION        RESOLUTION DATA PLATFORM” and filed Feb. 16, 2021.

Each of the related applications is incorporated by reference herein inits entirety for all purposes.

FIELDS OF USE

Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to data transmission, dataprocessing, and transaction authorization. More specifically, aspects ofthe disclosure may provide for direct sharing and transmission ofadditional and extensible information in a manner that it can beprocessed within the timing constraints of a traditional authorizationnetwork.

BACKGROUND

The efficient resolution of financial transactions often entails thequick processing of data relating to that transaction. For example, toprocess a simple transaction (e.g., a user using a credit card topurchase a soda), a wide variety of computing devices must perform stepssuch as validating a pin number and other identifying details of thecredit card, ensuring that the credit card has not exceeded a creditlimit, and ensuring that a merchant account associated with the sellerof the credit card is trusted to process the transaction. While suchdecision-making should be accurate (as, after all, mistakes may havesevere financial consequences), it must also be reasonably speedy: afterall, few users would be willing to wait multiple minutes for a sodapurchase to process.

Given that the resolution of financial transactions must be speedy butaccurate, conventional payment processing services use limitedquantities of data to make authorization decisions. For example, apayment processing decision might be made based on little more than acredit card number, a credit card identifier code, a merchantidentifier, and a payment amount. In this way, conventional paymentprocessing decision-making is often quite limited and rudimentary. Thishas numerous drawbacks, particularly as it relates to fraud detection.For example, because conventional payment processing systems lackinformation about items and/or services purchased by a transaction, suchconventional payment processing systems lack the ability to detect fraudbased on which items and/or services are being purchased in a giventransaction. As another example, because conventional payment processingsystems generally lack detailed information about the location of apurchase (e.g., the location of a smartphone conducting an onlinepurchase), such conventional payment processing systems lack the abilityto detect fraud based on location. The limitations of conventionalpayment processing systems have numerous other drawbacks. For example,because conventional payment processing systems lack detail regardingtransactions, issuers of and/or payment networks associated with paymentmethods (e.g., credit cards) may be incapable of providing customerswith detail regarding past transactions, and/or may find it difficult todetermine whether chargeback requests are valid. As a particularexample, a customer may erroneously issue a chargeback request for alegitimate transaction because the transaction was confusing and/orpoorly documented.

That said, users cannot simply choose to provide more data toconventional payment processing systems to remediate the issuesidentified above. These payment processing systems are controlled bythird parties and relied on throughout the market. While it might bedesirable to have improved point-of-sale systems provide a wide varietyof information to conventional payment processing systems, theconventional payment processing systems must provide common support forall point-of-sale systems, and merchants may be unable or unwilling toreplace existing point-of-sale systems with new systems. For example, itmay be prohibitively expensive for a convenience store to replace anexisting point-of-sale system with a new point-of-sale system (whichuses, for example, a different authorization protocol) merely to ensurethat the new point-of-sale system is capable of providing detailedinformation about a transaction, like an identification of particulargoods and/or services involved in the transaction, to a conventionalpayment processing system. In other words, conventional paymentprocessing systems are firmly rooted in legacy hardware, such thatchanges to those systems can be all but impossible. This is particularlythe issue with card-not-present transactions (e.g., online purchases),where a network protocol for such transactions might be limited withrespect to what data is shared during an authorization process.

Payment network regulations may require that authorization processingcomplete within a fixed, and short, period of time. These service levelobligations allow companies of all sorts to rely on the third-partypayment processing system to efficiently facilitate transactions.Modifications to consider other issues, such as the problems identifiedabove, could cause a transaction processor to fail to meet timingobligations that drive the payment networks.

Aspects described herein may address these and other problems, andgenerally improve the quality, efficiency, and speed of financialtransaction processing systems by offering improved transaction datatransmission, authorization, authentication, and decision-makingprocesses.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of various aspects describedherein. This summary is not an extensive overview, and is not intendedto identify key or critical elements or to delineate the scope of theclaims. The following summary merely presents some concepts in asimplified form as an introductory prelude to the more detaileddescription provided below.

Aspects described herein may allow for the direct sharing and use oftransaction data in a manner separate from, and parallel to, traditionalfinancial transaction authorization processes. This may have the effectof significantly improving the ability of organizations to ensuretransaction authorization, ensure transaction validity, detect fraud,and improve payment card user experiences. According to some aspects,these and other benefits may be achieved by separately sharingadditional transaction data in a manner that augments traditionaltransaction processing while still reaching an authorization resultwithin conventional payment network timing requirements.

Direct Data Share (DDS). Some aspects described herein may describe adirect data share system which augments conventional payment processingsystems and which processes, in parallel, transaction data to aid in thetransaction decision-making process. As will be described more fully inthis disclosure, such a direct data share system may augmentconventional payment processing systems to make them more robust andsecure. A direct data share system may receive, via a first interface(e.g., a direct data share interface associated with a direct data sharecomponent of the system, such as via an Application ProgrammingInterface (API)), transaction metadata comprising one or more dataelements. Those data elements may correspond to one or more attributesof a financial transaction. For example, the data elements may comprisedata about a location of the financial transaction (e.g., GlobalPositioning System (GPS) coordinates), goods and/or services to bepurchased by the financial transaction, or the like. The transactionmetadata may be associated with a concurrent transmission of paymentinformation, for the financial transaction, to a separate paymentprocessing service that ultimately provides authorization data to thesystem. In other words, when the transaction metadata is received by thedirect data share system via the first interface, payment information(e.g., a credit card number) may be being transmitted, or may havealready been transmitted, to a payment processing service (e.g., acredit card network, such as VISA). The transaction metadata, oncereceived by the direct data share system, may be validated based on oneor more criteria. Such a validation process may comprise comparing atransaction data element to a standard, a set of rules, or otherrequirements established by the one or more criteria. In this manner,the validation process may ensure, for example, that the receivedtransaction metadata is accurate, reliable, and formatted in a propermanner. Authorization information may be received via a second interface(e.g., a different API or other means for the credit card network toprovide information to the system) and from the payment processingservice. The authorization information may correspond to the financialtransaction that indicates a result of processing the paymentinformation by the payment processing service. In other words, at aroundthe same time that the transaction metadata is received and validated bythe direct data share system, the payment processing service may havebeen processing the payment information in parallel, such that theauthorization information may indicate the results of such processing.The direct data share system may then correlate, based at least in parton a validated transaction data element, the validated transactionmetadata with the received authorization information corresponding tothe financial transaction. In this manner, transaction metadata may bematched with the payment information, such that the correct (andvalidated) transaction metadata may be correlated with the authorizationinformation (which itself reflects processing by the payment processingservice). The direct data share system may then determine whether toauthorize the financial transaction based on the authorizationinformation and the correlated transaction metadata. Based on thatdetermination, the system may send an indication of whether thefinancial transaction was authorized. In this manner, the transactionmetadata may be validated and processed in parallel to the processingperformed by the payment processing service, augmenting thefunctionality of the payment processing service in a manner whichprovides additional transaction information without negatively impairingthe speed and/or configuration of the payment processing service.

Dynamic Validation—Dynamic Transaction Metadata Validation AdjustmentBased on Network Conditions. Some aspects described herein may providefor a method of adjusting the processing of additional data such thatthe time to process that additional data meets or beats a predicted timeof receipt of authorization network information. In this manner, theadditional processing described herein need not add delay to paymentprocessing systems, which might be particularly undesirable wherethousands (if not millions) of transactions are being processed on adaily basis. A direct data share system may determine a predicted timeof receipt, from a payment processing service that processes paymentinformation (e.g., a credit card network, such as VISA), ofauthorization information corresponding to a plurality of financialtransactions. In other words, this average time of receipt maycorrespond to a time when such authorization information is expected tobe received. That authorization information may indicate processing, bythe payment processing service, of the payment information for acorresponding financial transaction. The direct data share system maythen select a subset of one or more additional data elements from a setof transaction metadata elements based on determining that validation ofthe subset of the one or more data elements has an expected processingtime that is less than or equal to the average time of receipt of theauthorization information. Put simply, this means that the direct datashare system may select data elements that can be processed in asufficiently quick manner, and in any event more quickly than theauthorization information is expected to be received. The direct datashare system may receive, from a merchant, transaction metadatacomprising particular values of the one or more data elements for agiven financial transaction. The direct data share system may validatethe received transaction metadata based on the selected subset of theone or more data elements. The direct data share system may thenreceive, from the payment processing service, first authorizationinformation corresponding to the same financial transaction. Then, thedirect data share system may determine whether to authorize thefinancial transaction based on the first authorization information andthe validated transaction metadata. Based on determining whether toauthorize the financial transaction, the direct data share system maysend an indication of whether the financial transaction was authorized.

Some aspects described herein describe a method for processingtransaction data in a time-efficient manner (e.g., to meet or beat anexpected time when authorization data is to be received from a paymentprocessing network such as a credit card network) by selecting portionsof transaction metadata for validation. In this manner, a direct datashare system may be configured to select portions of already-receivedtransaction metadata for processing, thereby ensuring that the systemdoes not take an undesirably long time to process that transactionmetadata. A direct data share system may receive, via a first interfaceand from a merchant, transaction metadata comprising a plurality of dataelements corresponding to one or more attributes of a financialtransaction. That transaction metadata may be associated with aconcurrent transmission of payment information, for the financialtransaction, to a payment processing service (e.g., a credit cardnetwork, such as VISA). That transaction metadata might be undesirablyvoluminous, such that processing all of the transaction metadata mighttake an undesirable length of time. For example, processing of thetransaction metadata might take so long that it the results ofprocessing would be received too late for use in authorizing atransaction. The direct data share system may select, based on anestimated time of receipt, from a payment processing service thatprocesses payment information, of authorization informationcorresponding to the financial transaction, a subset of the plurality ofdata elements to validate based on one or more criteria. Such a subsetmay be selected by the direct data share system by summing a processingtime corresponding to each of the subset of plurality of data elementsand determining that the sum is less than the estimated time of receipt.The direct data share system may validate the transaction metadata byvalidating the subset of the plurality of data elements based on the oneor more criteria. The direct data share system may then receive, via thesecond interface and from the payment processing service, theauthorization information. The direct data share system may thendetermine whether to authorize the financial transaction based on theauthorization information and the validated transaction metadata. Basedon whether to authorize the financial transaction, the direct data sharesystem may send an indication of whether the financial transaction wasauthorized.

Merchant Exposure—Enhanced Feedback Exposure for Merchants Based onTransaction Metadata. Some aspects described herein may provide a methodthat enables merchants to request and receive information related to whytransactions were rejected. In this manner, where transactions areauthorized using transaction metadata and other additional information,merchants may be given deeper insight into why a particular transactionmay have been permitted or rejected. A direct data share system mayreceive, via a first interface and from a merchant, transaction metadatacomprising one or more data elements corresponding to one or moreattributes of a financial transaction. The direct data share system maythen generate a reference ID for the financial transaction. As will bedescribed in more detail in this disclosure, this reference ID may beused by the merchant for looking up the transaction down the road. Thedirect data share system may then send, to the merchant, the referenceID. The system may receive, via a second interface and from a paymentprocessing service (e.g., a credit card network, such as VISA),authorization information, corresponding to the financial transaction,that indicates processing of payment information by the paymentprocessing service. The direct data share system may then determine,based on the transaction metadata and the authorization information,that the financial transaction was or was not authorized. One or morereasons why the financial transaction was or was not authorized may bedetermined. For example, the one or more reasons may comprise anindication that the purchase was suspicious (e.g., a sudden purchase ofa luxury item), the location was suspicious (e.g., an unexpected use ofa credit card in a foreign country), or the like. An indication that thefinancial transaction was or was not authorized may be sent to themerchant based on the authorization information and the transactionmetadata. A request for additional information may later be receivedfrom the merchant. That request may comprise the reference ID. In thismanner, the merchant might send a request (e.g., “why was thistransaction declined?”), and the request might include a specificidentifier of the transaction. Information corresponding to thedetermined one or more reasons may be sent to the merchant and inresponse to the request for additional information.

DDS Pre-Authorization—Parallel Transaction Pre-Authorization Platform.Some aspects described herein may provide a method for allowingmerchants to pre-authorize transactions, such as particularly high-valueor high-risk transactions. In this manner, merchants may be provided, inadvance, a degree of confidence that the transaction is valid. Anindication of a financial transaction requested by a user may bereceived from a merchant device. Transaction metadata associated withthe financial transaction may be received from the merchant device. Arequest for authorization of the financial transaction to a user devicemay be sent. Based on receiving, from the user device, a response to therequest for authorization of the financial transaction, a computingdirect data share system may determine whether to preauthorize thefinancial transaction by testing the transaction metadata based on oneor more criteria. An indication of whether the financial transaction ispreauthorized may be sent to the merchant device. In other words, beforethe transaction is actually conducted, the computing direct data sharesystem may determine whether the transaction is preauthorized, such thatthe merchant may be informed whether to allow the transaction tocontinue. After sending the indication of whether the financialtransaction is preauthorized, authorization information may be receivedfrom the payment processing service. The authorization information maycorrespond to the financial transaction. The authorization informationmay indicate processing, by a payment processing service (e.g., VISA,MasterCard), of payment information associated with the financialtransaction. Based on determining that the financial transaction waspreauthorized and based on the authorization information, an indicationof whether the financial transaction is authorized may be sent.

User Exposure—Enhanced Feedback Exposure for Users Based on TransactionMetadata. Some aspects described herein may provide a method wherein adirect data share system may store and make available (e.g., torequesting computing devices) some aspects of past transaction metadata.In this way, users might be able to better recall past transactions,validate past transactions (and avoid improperly issuing chargebacksagainst legitimate transactions), and the like. Transaction metadatacomprising one or more data elements corresponding to one or moreattributes of a financial transaction, wherein the transaction metadatais associated with a concurrent transmission of payment information, forthe financial transaction, to a payment processing service may bereceived via a first interface and from a merchant. The transactionmetadata may be tested based on one or more criteria. A direct datashare system may determine whether to authorize the financialtransaction based on the tested transaction metadata and based onauthorization information that indicates processing of the paymentinformation by the payment processing service. The authorizationinformation may correspond to the financial transaction. Afterdetermining whether to authorize the financial transaction, a requestfor transaction information associated with the financial transactionmay be received from a user device. For example, this request may bepart of a user using the user device to browse a website comprising alisting of past transactions. A transaction summary may be generated inresponse to the request for the transaction information and based on thetransaction metadata. The transaction summary may be sent to the userdevice and/or other sources, such as a computing device associated witha call center.

Dispute and Fraud Claim Resolution—Storage and Processing of TransactionMetadata for Dispute and Fraud Claim Resolution. Some aspects describedherein may provide a computer-implemented method for transaction disputeand fraud claim resolution. Given the added value of transactionmetadata (as described further herein), the transaction metadata may beof particular use when determining whether a transaction was legitimateor fraudulent. This is particularly the case where additionaltransaction metadata might not be used during an initial authorizationprocess, but may be stored and used should a dispute and/or fraud claimever arise. As will be described further herein, a direct data sharesystem may receive transaction metadata comprising one or more dataelements corresponding to one or more attributes of a financialtransaction. That transaction metadata may be associated with aconcurrent transmission of payment information, for the financialtransaction, to a payment processing service (e.g., VISA, MasterCard).That transaction metadata may be received via a first interface and froma merchant device. A first portion of the transaction metadata based onone or more criteria may be tested. The direct data share system maydetermine whether to authorize the financial transaction based on thetested transaction metadata and based on authorization information,corresponding to the financial transaction, that indicates processing ofthe payment information by the payment processing service. An indicationof a dispute and/or fraud claim associated with the financialtransaction from a computing system may be received. In response toreceiving the indication of the dispute and/or fraud claim associatedwith the financial transaction from the computing system, a secondportion of the transaction metadata may be tested. That second portionof the transaction metadata may be, for example, previously-unprocessedportions of the transaction metadata that, when processed, indicate alegitimacy of the financial transaction. The tested second portion ofthe transaction met may be sent to the computing system.

Corresponding apparatus, systems, and computer-readable media are alsowithin the scope of the disclosure.

These features, along with many others, are discussed in greater detailbelow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitedin the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicatesimilar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts an example of a computing device that may be used inimplementing one or more aspects of the disclosure in accordance withone or more illustrative aspects discussed herein;

FIG. 2 depicts an example transaction authorization architectureaccording to one or more aspects of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 depicts a more detailed example transaction authorizationarchitecture according to one or more aspects of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart comprising steps detailing the transmissionand use of transaction metadata.

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart comprising steps detailing dynamicallyadjusting validation steps in view of processing speed requirements.

FIG. 6 depicts a flowchart comprising steps detailing dynamicallyadjusting validation steps in view of an estimated time of receipt oftransaction authorization information.

FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart comprising steps detailing providingmerchants with information corresponding to transaction authorizationdecisions.

FIG. 8 depicts a flowchart comprising steps detailing providinginformation about historical transactions.

FIG. 9 depicts a flowchart comprising steps detailing pre-authorizingtransactions.

FIG. 10 depicts a flowchart comprising steps detailing transactionresolution.

FIG. 11 depicts an example of payment information and transactionmetadata.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of the various embodiments, reference ismade to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and inwhich is shown by way of illustration various embodiments in whichaspects of the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood thatother embodiments may be utilized and structural and functionalmodifications may be made without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure. Aspects of the disclosure are capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology usedherein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded aslimiting. Rather, the phrases and terms used herein are to be giventheir broadest interpretation and meaning. The use of “including” and“comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the itemslisted thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional itemsand equivalents thereof.

By way of introduction, aspects discussed herein may relate to methodsand techniques for directly sharing data related to transactions so asto augment the authorization processing of such transactions. Thisprocess augments conventional payment processing systems to consideradditional transaction metadata data in parallel to the informationprocessed by conventional payment processing networks. In addition toenabling a computing system to consider additional transaction data whenauthorizing a transaction, this system has numerous other technicalbenefits, such as being able to dynamically configure itself in view ofthe speed of conventional payment processing systems.

Conventional payment processing systems are limited in a variety ofways. For example, for consistency and legacy reasons, conventionalpayment processing systems generally use a limited set of data to makeauthorization decisions. Though it might be valuable to consider moredata when determining whether to authorize a transaction, doing so wouldsignificantly complicate and slow down conventional payment processingsystems. This can be extremely undesirable: since such systems oftenhandle thousands, if not millions, of transactions per day, addedcomplexity and delay can cause significant issues. Moreover, in someinstances, applicable service agreements may require that transactionsbe processed in a sufficiently speedy manner. As will be described insignificant detail later, the features described herein remedy these andother issues by augmenting conventional payment processing systems andperforming certain processing steps (e.g., processing of additionaldata, referred to herein as transaction metadata) separate from, andparallel to, conventional payment processing systems. Such anaugmentation may be configured to add to the overall accuracy androbustness of authorization decisions without impeding the speed and/orimplicating the legacy devices of conventional payment processingsystems. In other words, the system described herein preserves the manyadvantages of processing additional transaction metadata, whilemitigating the drawbacks of such additional data. Moreover, thisparallel processing may be configured in certain manners to ensure thatthe speed of the processing is roughly approximate to the speed ofconventional payment processing, such that no additional delay isintroduced during processing. Moreover, addition of such transactionmetadata to authorization decisioning processes enables merchants tolearn more about why certain transactions may have been declined, mayprovide consumers more detail as to past transactions, and may allow thesystem to better address and resolve past transaction fraud claims.

As one example of an advantage of the particular structure ofimprovements described herein, by processing transaction metadata in amanner parallel to conventional payment processing systems, thosepayment processing systems need not be modified. This is, itself, asignificant cost savings. For example, rather than forcing multitudinousmerchants to retrofit existing point-of-sale systems, such point-of-salesystems can operate in conjunction with new technologies. As anotherexample, rather than running the cost and security risks ofreconfiguring legacy point-of-sale systems, the present system canoperate in parallel and not inadvertently risk system delays, shutdowns,or unexpected behavior.

As such, the disclosures herein improve the functioning of computers byimproving the manner in which computers handle high-speed,high-complexity, and often high-value transactions. Modern financialtransactions rely on an extensive network of computing devices toprocess those transactions. For example, various interconnectedcomputing devices of a payment processing service (e.g., VISA,MasterCard) may be configured to detect transaction validity (e.g.,detect fraud), perform the electronic transmission of funds, and thelike. In such circumstances, even microseconds worth of delay can beundesirable: after all, given that payment processing systems canprocess thousands (if not millions) of transactions a minute,microseconds worth of delay can slow financial transactionssignificantly. Moreover, given the variety and complexity of suchtransactions, such computing devices are often being reconfigured andreevaluated to improve their ability to detect and prevent fraud. Assuch, administrators are often tasked with making a trade-off betweenfraud detection and processing speed. Those issues are fundamentallyrooted in the field of computing devices, and improvements to thosecomputing devices (e.g., the manner in which they transmit data, processdata, or the like) can have significant implications for how thefinancial transactions are handled. These improvements arecomputer-oriented in that they relate to the unique configuration ofcomputing devices and networks required for modern transactionprocessing in view of, for example, preexisting payment processingsystems. Indeed, as described further herein, some of the improvementsdescribed herein are directed to transaction processing in view of thetime it takes for other computing devices (e.g., of preexisting paymentprocessing systems) to process other aspects of a transaction. Moreover,as described further herein, some of the improvements described hereinrelate to reconfiguring the order in which computing devices processdata associated with transactions in order to improve the security andspeed of those transactions.

Before discussing these concepts in greater detail, however, severalexamples of a computing device that may be used in implementing and/orotherwise providing various aspects of the disclosure will first bediscussed with respect to FIG. 1.

Devices and System Architecture

FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a computing device 101 that may beused to implement one or more illustrative aspects discussed herein. Forexample, computing device 101 may, in some embodiments, implement one ormore aspects of the disclosure by reading and/or executing instructionsand performing one or more actions based on the instructions. In someembodiments, computing device 101 may represent, be incorporated in,and/or include various devices such as a desktop computer, a computerserver, a mobile device (e.g., a laptop computer, a tablet computer, asmart phone, any other types of mobile computing devices, and the like),and/or any other type of data processing device.

Computing device 101 may, in some embodiments, operate in a standaloneenvironment. In others, computing device 101 may operate in a networkedenvironment. As shown in FIG. 1, various network nodes 101, 105, 107,and 109 may be interconnected via a network 103, such as the Internet.Other networks may also or alternatively be used, including privateintranets, corporate networks, LANs, wireless networks, personalnetworks (PAN), and the like. Network 103 is for illustration purposesand may be replaced with fewer or additional computer networks. A localarea network (LAN) may have one or more of any known LAN topology andmay use one or more of a variety of different protocols, such asEthernet. Devices 101, 105, 107, 109 and other devices (not shown) maybe connected to one or more of the networks via twisted pair wires,coaxial cable, fiber optics, radio waves or other communication media.

As seen in FIG. 1, computing device 101 may include a processor 111, RAM113, ROM 115, network interface 117, input/output interfaces 119 (e.g.,keyboard, mouse, display, printer, etc.), and memory 121. Processor 111may include one or more computer processing units (CPUs), graphicalprocessing units (GPUs), and/or other processing units such as aprocessor adapted to perform computations associated with machinelearning. I/O 119 may include a variety of interface units and drivesfor reading, writing, displaying, and/or printing data or files. I/O 119may be coupled with a display such as display 120. Memory 121 may storesoftware for configuring computing device 101 into a special purposecomputing device in order to perform one or more of the variousfunctions discussed herein. Memory 121 may store operating systemsoftware 123 for controlling overall operation of computing device 101,control logic 125 for instructing computing device 101 to performaspects discussed herein, and other applications 127. Control logic 125may be incorporated in and may be a part of machine learning software127. In other embodiments, computing device 101 may include two or moreof any and/or all of these components (e.g., two or more processors, twoor more memories, etc.) and/or other components and/or subsystems notillustrated here.

Devices 105, 107, 109 may have similar or different architecture asdescribed with respect to computing device 101. Those of skill in theart will appreciate that the functionality of computing device 101 (ordevice 105, 107, 109) as described herein may be spread across multipledata processing devices, for example, to distribute processing loadacross multiple computers, to segregate transactions based on geographiclocation, user access level, quality of service (QoS), etc. For example,devices 101, 105, 107, 109, and others may operate in concert to provideparallel computing features in support of the operation of control logic125 and/or software 127.

One or more aspects discussed herein may be embodied in computer-usableor readable data and/or computer-executable instructions, such as in oneor more program modules, executed by one or more computers or otherdevices as described herein. Generally, program modules includeroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. thatperform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data typeswhen executed by a processor in a computer or other device. The modulesmay be written in a source code programming language that issubsequently compiled for execution, or may be written in a scriptinglanguage such as (but not limited to) HTML or XML. The computerexecutable instructions may be stored on a computer readable medium suchas a hard disk, optical disk, removable storage media, solid statememory, RAM, etc. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, thefunctionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed asdesired in various embodiments. In addition, the functionality may beembodied in whole or in part in firmware or hardware equivalents such asintegrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), and thelike. Particular data structures may be used to more effectivelyimplement one or more aspects discussed herein, and such data structuresare contemplated within the scope of computer executable instructionsand computer-usable data described herein. Various aspects discussedherein may be embodied as a method, a computing device, a dataprocessing system, or a computer program product.

Having discussed several examples of computing devices which may be usedto implement some aspects as discussed further below, discussion willnow turn to various system architectures which may be used fortransaction processing.

FIG. 2 is a simplified example of a network which may processtransaction metadata in parallel to conventional payment processing.Particularly, FIG. 2 depicts a computer network 200 where a merchantdevice 201 sends transaction information for authorization to atransaction processing service 202 (e.g., a service provided by VISAand/or MasterCard) and a data share system 203. Any of the devices shownin FIG. 2 (e.g., the merchant device 201, the transaction processingservice 202, and/or the data share system 203) may be all or portions ofcomputing devices, such as those discussed with respect to FIG. 1. Forinstance, the merchant device 201 may be a point-of-sale device in astore, whereas the transaction processing service 202 may be a series ofremotely-located computing devices which collectively execute to processcredit card transactions.

In transmission 220 a, the merchant device 201 (e.g., a point-of-salesystem, a merchant website, or similar computing device) may sendpayment information (e.g., a credit card number, a personalidentification number, and basic transaction details) to the transactionprocessing service 202. The sending of the payment information may be inaccordance with a preexisting standard, such that modification of thepayment information might not be practicable. Indeed, this process maybe part of a conventional payment processing system, such that thenature of the transmissions may be based on the nature of thetransaction processing service 202. For example, credit cardtransactions for a first payment card network may be different thancredit card transactions for another payment card network. As anotherexample, transmissions as part of transmission 220 a for online paymentsmay be different than those for in-person payments. As will be detailedfurther below, one advantage of the system described herein is that thisprocess need not be modified in order to perform the steps describedherein.

Around the same time, in transmission 220 b, the merchant device 201 maysend, to the data share system 203, transaction metadata. Thistransaction metadata may be information about a transaction above andbeyond the payment information sent in transmission 220 a. For example,the transaction metadata may comprise a listing of items involved in thetransaction, the price of the items, GPS coordinates of the transaction,or the like. As will be described in further detail below, the datashare system 203 may be configured to complete validation of thetransaction metadata (e.g., perform preliminary steps to determinewhether the transaction should be authorized) around the same time as aresult is received from the transaction processing service 202. Thatsaid, more transaction metadata may be transmitted to the data sharesystem 203 than is actually validated or otherwise processed by the datashare system 203. For example, as will be described in further detailbelow, the data share system 203 may select which portion(s) oftransaction metadata to process, and may store and/or discard otherportions of the transaction metadata.

In transmission 220 c, authorization information may be received fromthe payment network 202. This authorization information may be receivedat around the same time when validation of the transaction metadata iscompleted by the data share system 203. In other words, and as will bedetailed below, it may be desirable to complete the validation oftransaction metadata in advance of (or at roughly the same time as)receipt of the authorization information so as to avoid adding delays tothe process of authorizing a transaction.

Then, in transmission 220 d, and based on the validated transactionmetadata and the received authorization information, an indication ofwhether the transaction is authorized may be transmitted from the datashare system 203 to the merchant device 201. In other words, based onboth the authorization information and the transaction metadata, adecision as to whether to authorize a transaction may be made. This maybe a significant improvement over conventional payment processingsystems, which often rely on the authorization information alone to makesuch determinations.

Discussion will now turn to a more detailed analysis of this system,including various aspects of the device(s) which may be used toimplement this system. FIG. 3 depicts a particular implementation ofvarious devices which, like FIG. 2, depict the augmentation of aconventional payment processing system with a system which processesadditional transaction metadata. As such, FIG. 3 depicts a computernetwork 300 including the data share system 203 that is similar to, butmuch more detailed than, the system depicted in FIG. 2. Particularly,FIG. 3 depicts a circumstance where a transaction is requested by amerchant transaction source 301 (e.g., a point-of-sale system, amerchant website, an online banking account, or the like) and sent to amerchant server 302. The various boxes depicted in FIG. 3 may be all orportions of computing devices, such as any of those shown in FIG. 1. Forexample, the merchant transaction source 301 and the server 302 may bethe same computing device (e.g., such that the merchant transactionsource 301 may be an online banking account managed by a bank, and theserver 302 may be a payment system operated by the same bank) and/or maybe different computing devices (e.g., the merchant transaction source301 may be a point-of-sale device in a store, and the server 302 mightbe a server configured to receive information from one or morepoint-of-sale systems). For the purposes of illustration, the data sharesystem 203 shown in FIG. 3 is broken into a data share platform 350, anenterprise level 360, or a decision engine 370. In this way, as will bedetailed more below, the various elements may be divided in that thedata share platform 350 devices and transmissions may relate to how datais collected and transmitted, the enterprise level 360 devices andtransmissions may relate to how such data is ingested and queued forprocessing, and the decision engine 370 devices and transmissions mayrelate to how decisions are made based on such data. An additionaltransaction data reference API 303, an authorization response listenerservice API 310, and a database 311 may be part of a data share platform350. A streaming data platform 309 and a streaming data platform 305 maybe part of an enterprise level 360. An authorization decisioning engine308, an event processor 306, and a cache 307 may be part of a decisionengine 370. More broadly, the data share platform 350, the enterpriselevel 360, and the decision engine 370 collectively may be the same orsimilar to the data share system 203.

The arrows depicted in FIG. 3 need not suggest a particular formattingfor the transmission of data. Transmissions between any of the devicesdepicted in FIG. 3 may be performed over one or more networks, such asthe network 103, and/or via suitable hardware or software. Inparticular, transmissions 330 a, 330 b, and/or 330 c may be transmittedvia an entirely different network as compared to the othertransmissions. Indeed, the network via which the transmissions 330 a,330 b, and/or 330 c is transmitted may correspond to a legacy networkmaintained by a payment card network (e.g., VISA, MasterCard), whereasthe other transmissions may be conducted via, for example, the Internet.As such, the transmissions between the server 302 and the transactionprocessing service 202 (which includes payment processing service 312 aand payment network 312 b) and the server 302 and the database 311and/or the additional transaction data reference API 303 may beperformed on entirely different networks. In this manner, transmissionsassociated with conventional payment processing (e.g., those involvingthe transaction processing service 202, including the payment processingservice 312 a and/or the payment network 312 b) may involve an existingnetwork (e.g., a legacy network, such as may manage the transmission 330a), whereas those involving the server 302 and other devices may beusing separate networks, including separate protocols. In this manner,the data share platform 350 and the devices part of the data shareplatform may augment, rather than replace or otherwise interfere with,the devices of the payment processing service 312 and the paymentnetwork 312 b. Moreover, if two or more of the devices depicted in FIG.3 are virtualized (e.g., software executing on a server) and/or comprisethe same computing devices, the elements may transmit data via softwareand/or hardware, such as transmitting data via a messaging system of anoperating system.

The transaction processing service 202, which includes the paymentprocessing service 312 a and the payment network 312 b, may vary basedon the nature of the payment processing. For example, the transactionprocessing service 202 may comprise an online payment processingservice, such as the one offered by Stripe, Inc. of San Francisco,Calif. In this manner, the transaction processing service 202 maycomprise a wide variety of steps and intermediary devices. As will bedetailed further below, the transaction processing service 202 may beconventional and, in some respects, a black box in that it might not bereadily changed.

As a preliminary introduction to devices and transmissions discussed inmore detail below, the merchant transaction source 301 and the server302 may be configured to receive information about a transaction. Such atransaction may be, for example, a user using a credit card with themerchant transaction source 301 (e.g., a point-of-sale system) toinitiate payment for goods, such that the server 302 may receiveinformation such as the cost of the goods, the identity of the goods,information identifying the credit card, and the like. Conventionally,such devices would simply transmit (e.g., in transmission 330 a) verypreliminary sets of information (e.g., a credit card number and paymentamount) to the payment processing service 312 a and await an indicationas to whether the transaction is valid. That said, as depicted in bothFIGS. 2 and 3, the present disclosure augments such processing andprovides by providing transaction metadata processing in parallel. Moreparticularly, additional information (referred to herein as transactionmetadata, and which may include information such as the particularidentity of goods or services to be purchased, GPS coordinates of acustomer, or the like) is collected and processed in parallel toconventional processing steps, thereby allowing for more fine-grainedtransaction processing without altering or otherwise slowing downconventional payment processing. Thus, as will be explored in greaterdetail below, FIG. 3 shows two separate pathways for different sets oftransaction data, which may be on different networks: a conventionalpayment processing pathway via the payment processing service 312 a andvia a first network, and a more robust transaction metadata processingpathway which begins with the devices and transmissions depicted as partof the data share platform 350.

The merchant transaction source 301 may be any form in which paymentinformation may be stored, received, or otherwise used. The merchanttransaction source 301 may be a point-of-sale terminal located in astore or restaurant, a website (e.g., an online store), or the like. Themerchant transaction source 301 may comprise a single or multipledevices, such as a series of computing devices configured to receive andtransmit banking information from a user.

The merchant transaction source 301 may be associated with one or moretransactions. A transaction may be a purchase of one or more goods orservices. For example, a transaction may be a purchase of goods from anonline store, a purchase of food at a grocery store using apoint-of-sale system in that grocery store, payment for car repair usinga point-of-sale system of a repair shop, or the like. The merchanttransaction source 301 may perform one or more steps before or aftersuch a transaction is completed. For example, the merchant transactionsource 301 may be a point-of-sale system used to purchase goods, but thegoods might not be delivered until a later date. As will be described infurther detail below, a transaction may be associated with a particulartime of day, a particular location (e.g., a store, a website, acountry), a number of goods and/or services, different individuals(e.g., a store clerk, a customer), or the like. For example, atransaction for purchase of three grocery items might be initiated at aphysical store at 9:00 PM EST. As another example, a transaction forpurchase of an online service might be initiated on a website in theevening.

In transmission 320 a, data from the merchant transaction source 301 maybe sent to the server 302. The server 302 may be any device configuredto receive information about the merchant transaction source 301. Forexample, the server 302 may be a merchant server configured to allowusers to make purchases on an online store, and/or may be a serverconfigured to process credit card transactions from one or more physicalstores. The server 302 may be managed by a payment network, such as thepayment network 312 b and/or the payment processing service 312 a. Assuch, the merchant transaction source 301 may be managed by a merchant,but the server 302 might be managed by a third party, such as a paymentnetwork.

The server 302 may be configured to collect, store, and/or transmittransaction metadata about one or more transactions. For example, theserver may store transaction metadata about one or more goods orservices associated with a transaction, a time of the transaction, alocation of the transaction (e.g., a particular store, particular GPScoordinates, a particular website or Uniform Resource Locator (URL) usedto perform the transaction), an identity of one or more individualsinvolved in the transaction, or the like. Such transaction metadata maybe collected from a wide variety of sources. For example, the server 302may be configured to use a global positioning device in a smartphone tocollect GPS coordinates for a transaction conducted using thesmartphone, and/or may be configured to query a user database todetermine an identity of a user of the merchant transaction source 301.The transaction metadata may comprise virtually any informationassociated with a transaction, and thus need not be limited to theparticulars of the merchant transaction source 301. The transactionmetadata may be stored in a database, such as the database 311 and/or adatabase communicatively coupled to the server 302.

In transmission 330 a, the server 302 may send payment informationassociated with the merchant transaction source 301 to the paymentprocessing service 312 a. This transmission, along with transmission 330b where the payment processing service 312 a sends information to thepayment network 312 b, may be all or portions of a process wherein acustomer pays for goods or services. The payment processing service 312a and the payment network 312 b may both or individually be associatedwith organizations associated with the merchant transaction source 301,such as a credit card network. As a particular example, the paymentprocessing service 312 a and the payment network 312 b may be bothmanaged by a financial services company like Visa Inc., of Foster City,Calif., or MasterCard Incorporated of Purchase, N.Y. Such transmissionsmay be all or portions of a conventional authorization system for themerchant transaction source 301, such as a conventional credit cardauthorization process.

As indicated above, the authorization information and the transactionmetadata need not be the same information, and in many circumstances thetransaction metadata may provide additional, potentially more robustinformation about a transaction. For example, while the authorizationinformation may comprise information required by the payment processingservice (e.g., a credit card number, a credit card verification value(CVV)), the transaction metadata sent to the data share platform 350 maycomprise a wide variety of details about the transaction, such as theitems purchased by the transaction, a location of the transaction (e.g.,a location of a smartphone used to make the transaction), an IP addressof a device used in the transaction, the identity of goods or servicespurchased by the transaction, and the like. In other words, thetransaction metadata may comprise more and/or different information ascompared to the authorization information. The payment processingservice 312 a and the payment network 312 b may be unknown, remote,and/or otherwise uncontrollable by parties involved with the server 302,the data share platform 350, the enterprise level 360, and/or thedecision engine 370. In other words, such transmissions might notreadily be changed, might be managed by another organization, and/ormight be preexisting (e.g., legacy) systems that might not be capable ofhandling transaction metadata. In other words, while the authorizationinformation might be a limited quantity of information set by a standardthat cannot be changed, the transaction metadata may comprise a muchwider variety of information for use in determining whether to authorizea transaction. As such, as will be described in greater detail below,the data share platform 350, the enterprise level 360, and/or thedecision engine 370 may be configured to effectuate authorization oftransactions in view of the fact that the payment processing service 312a and the payment network 312 b might not be able to use transactionmetadata, but might provide some information (e.g., authorizationinformation) useful for authorization of a transaction.

In transmission 320 b, the server may send transaction metadata to theadditional transactional data reference API 303, which entails the datavalidation 304 a and post data 304 b elements. The transmission of thisdata in transmission 330 b may be parallel to (e.g., roughly at the sametime as) the transmission of the payment information in transmission 320a. The additional transactional data reference API 303 may perform datavalidation 304 a in that it may validate all or portions of thetransaction metadata for accuracy, reliability, and consistency. Forexample, the data validation 304 a may comprise ensuring that GPScoordinates in the transaction metadata are a consistent format, and/orensuring that all numerical values are in a consistent format. The datavalidation 304 a may comprise testing the transaction metadata based onone or more criteria. For example, the criteria may require that thetransaction metadata be complete, that it not have any obviousformatting errors, or the like. The post data 304 b transmission maycomprise one or more transmissions which collectively transmit the data,as discussed in more detail below.

In transmission 320 c, the additional transactional data reference API303 may send transaction metadata (that has been, e.g., validated viathe data validation 304 a) to the database 311. The database 311 maystore the transaction metadata for future use. For example, as will bedescribed in greater detail below, the transaction metadata may bestored such that parties to the transaction (e.g., merchants, customers,users, etc.) may later retrieve the information to confirm the validityof the transaction. As another example, the database 311 may store largequantities of transaction metadata along with decisions based on thattransaction metadata, and that information may be used to train amachine learning model.

In transmission 320 d, the additional transactional data reference API303 may send the transaction metadata (e.g., as validated via the datavalidation 304 a, if desired) to the streaming data platform 305. Thestreaming data platform 305, which may be the same or similar as thestreaming data platform 309, may be configured to ingest and processdata. Such a streaming data platform may be used to continuously ingest,process, store, and/or process such data. As such, the streaming dataplatform 305 and the streaming data platform 309 may be implemented inFIG. 3 to process the large volume and consistent flow of data which maybe received from the additional transactional data reference API 303.That said, the streaming data platform 305 and/or the streaming dataplatform 309 may be omitted in some embodiments (such that, for example,the additional transactional data reference API 303 may send datadirectly to the event processor 306).

In transmission 320 e, the streaming data platform may send thetransaction metadata to the event processor 306. The event processor 306may be configured to process transaction metadata to, for example,determine all or portions of the transaction metadata for processing. Aswill be described in more detail below, for speed and efficiencyreasons, the event processor 306 (and/or other elements, such as theadditional transactional data reference API 303) may select whichportion(s) of transaction metadata should be used for subsequentprocessing. Such portions may be less than all of the transactionmetadata. For example, portions of the transaction metadata may beselected based on those portions being speedily processed and/or readilyprobative of transaction validity.

In transmission 320 g, the event processor 306 may send all or portionsof the transaction metadata to the cache 307. The cache 307 may be usedto manage processing by the authorization decisioning engine 308, asdescribed further below. In this manner, the authorization decisioningengine 308 need not be overwhelmed by the speed in which transactionmetadata is received from the event processor 306.

In transmission 320 h, the cache may send all or portions of thetransaction metadata to the authorization decisioning engine 308. Thecache 307 may send such transaction metadata periodically, based on aprocessing status of the authorization decisioning engine 308, or thelike.

The authorization decisioning engine 308 may make a determination as towhether to authorize a transaction. Such a decision may be based on allor portions of the transaction metadata received from the cache 307,and/or may be based on authorization information received from thepayment network 312 b in transmission 330 c. In other words, based onthe conventional information about authorization (e.g., as provided bythe payment network 312 b) as well as additional processing oftransaction metadata (e.g., information in addition to that processed bythe payment network 312), the authorization decisioning engine 308 maydetermine whether to authorize a transaction. In this way, the systemmay be configured to consider a wide variety of data elements indetermining whether to authorize a transaction. In particular, and aswill be described in further detail below, the authorization decisioningengine 308 may make a determination as to whether to authorize atransaction based on authorization information (e.g., conventionalindications of authorization as received from a typical paymentprocessing network, such as VISA or MasterCard) in addition totransaction metadata (e.g., additional information, above and beyondthat used for the authorization information and received via an entirelydifferent interface, used to help determine the validity of thetransaction).

The authorization decisioning engine 308 may process transaction data ina manner that uses a machine learning model. A machine learning modelmay be trained, using data comprising transactions tagged based onwhether they should be authorized, to assign, based on input transactionmetadata, an authorization value to transactions. Such data might bestored in a database, such as the database 311. Processing thetransaction metadata may comprise determining, based on theauthorization information and the correlated transaction metadata andusing the machine learning model, whether the financial transactionshould be authorized. In this manner, the machine learning model maylearn, over time, aspects of transaction metadata that may indicate, forexample, validity or fraud. Though referred to as a single machinelearning model, multiple machine learning models might be implemented toaid the processes determined herein. For example, one machine learningmodel might be trained to predict validity based on the geographiclocation of a transaction, whereas another machine learning model mightbe trained to predict validity based on the items involved in atransaction.

In transmission 320 j, the same or a similar indication of whether ornot the transaction is authorized may also be sent to the paymentnetwork 312 b. For example, the indication sent to the streaming dataplatform 309 may comprise an indication of why the transaction metadataindicates a legitimate transaction (e.g., one or more reasons thetransaction was approved), whereas the indication sent to the paymentnetwork 312 b may comprise a Boolean indication of whether thetransaction should be allowed.

In transmission 320 i, the authorization decisioning engine 308 may sendan indication of whether or not the transaction is authorized to thestreaming data platform 309. This indication need not be in anyparticular format, and may depend on the nature of the server 302, amongother considerations.

In transmission 320 k, the streaming data platform 309 may send theindication of whether or not the transaction is authorized to theauthorization response listener service API 310. The authorizationresponse listener service API 310 may receive the indication of whetheror not the transaction is authorized and, if desired, process orotherwise format it. The authorization response listener service API 310may be configured to transmit the indication directly to the server 302if desired (e.g., so as to avoid potential delays associated with thedatabase 311).

In transmission 320 l, the authorization response listener service API310 may send the indication of whether or not the transaction isauthorized to the database 311. In this manner, the database 311 maystore transaction metadata as well as indications of whether or nottransactions have been authorized. The database 311 may additionallyand/or alternatively correlate such information, such that transactionmetadata may be compared with decisions made by the authorizationdecisioning engine 308. As will be described further below, this mayadvantageously allow the database 311 to store data in a manner whichmight be used to train machine learning models.

In transmission 320 m, the database 311 and/or the authorizationresponse listener service API 310 may send the indication of whether ornot the transaction is authorized to the server 302. In this manner, theserver 302 (which may, e.g., be associated with a merchant) may learnwhether the transaction has been authorized. Additionally and/oralternatively, an indication of whether the transaction has beenauthorized may be received from the payment processing service 312 a. Assuch, the server 302 might receive two indications: one reflective ofdecision-making by the authorization decisioning engine 308, and onemade by the payment processing service 312 a and/or the payment network312 b.

Direct Data Share

Discussion will now turn to an example of how transaction metadataassociated with a transaction may be processed as part of determiningwhether to authorize that transaction. Such steps may be performed byone or more computing devices, such as the elements discussed as part ofthe data share platform 350, enterprise level 360, and/or decisionengine 370 of FIG. 3. As such, FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart 400, and thesteps of that flowchart 400 which may be all or portions of analgorithm. A computing device may comprise one or more processors andmemory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the performance of all or portions of the steps ofFIG. 4.

In step 401, transaction metadata may be received by, e.g., the datashare platform 350. The transaction metadata may be received from amerchant and via a first interface, such as a transaction metadatapathway (e.g., the additional transactional data reference API 303)separate from other pathways (e.g., pathways used to performconventional payment processing steps). As described with respect toFIG. 3 above, the transaction metadata may be received from a merchant(e.g., via the server 302, and based on a transaction initiated usingthe merchant transaction source 301). The transaction metadata maycomprise one or more data elements corresponding to one or moreattributes of a financial transaction. For example, one element maycorrespond to a total price of the financial transaction, and oneelement may comprise a list of goods purchased by the financialtransaction. The transaction metadata may be associated with aconcurrent transmission of payment information, for the financialtransaction, to a payment processing service 312 a (e.g., viatransmission 330 a). The first interface, which may also be referred toas a transaction metadata pathway, can be a communication pathway overthe Internet or a similar network, and may be the same or similar as thepathway used for transmission 320 b of FIG. 3. In other words, asalready indicated above, the first interface may effectuate receipt ofthe transaction metadata and may be entirely different than thepathway(s) used for transmission of payment information and/or receiptof authorization information from a payment processing service.

In step 402, the transaction metadata may be validated (by, e.g., thedata share platform 350) based on one or more criteria. The one or morecriteria may be any criteria for, e.g., ensuring the validity,consistency, and/or formatting of the transaction metadata. For example,validating the transaction metadata may comprise removing unnecessarycontent (e.g., double spaces) from the transaction metadata, ensuringthat all numbers in the transaction metadata are the same format,testing portions of the transaction metadata for consistency, or thelike. Validating the transaction metadata may additionally and/oralternatively comprise confirming a validity of the transactionmetadata. For example, the transaction metadata may compriseauthorization credentials for a merchant which may be used to ensurethat the transaction metadata was received from the merchant. Validatingthe transaction metadata may comprise validating a transaction dataelement of the transition metadata. The transaction data element mayuniquely identify a financial transaction. For example, the transactiondata element may be an arbitrary string generated to uniquely identifythe transaction amongst millions of transactions occurring around thesame time or with respect to the same merchant. The transaction dataelement may additionally and/or alternatively be, for example, atimestamp of the transaction, a user identifier of the transaction, oneor more portions of a credit card number, an identifier of a good orservice involved in the transaction, or the like. Such transaction dataelements may uniquely identify a transaction individually and/or incombination: for example, the identity of a merchant and the time of atransaction associated with the merchant may be sufficient to uniquelyidentify a transaction, particularly in circumstances where the merchantdoes not process many transactions. Such validation may be, for example,performed by the additional transactional data reference API 303 and inthe data validation 304 a step. More broadly, step 402 may comprise thetransmissions 320 d-320 h of FIG. 3, and may relate to the conceptsdiscussed regarding elements 304 a, 305, 306, 307, and/or 308 of FIG. 3.

Validating the transaction metadata may comprise selecting a portion ofthe one or more data elements to test using the one or more criteria. Asdiscussed further herein with respect to FIGS. 5 and 6, recognizing thatnot all portions of the transaction metadata may be able to be processedin a sufficiently short amount of time (e.g., quick enough to meet orbeat the processing performed by the payment processing service 312 aand/or the payment network 312 b), it may be desirable to select only aportion of the transaction metadata for processing. The portion of theone or more data elements selected for testing may be selected based onhow strongly it is probative of the validity of a transaction, how easyand/or quick it is to process, how related it is to the validity of atransaction, or the like.

As discussed in more detail herein with respect to FIGS. 5 and 6, theone or more criteria may be determined such that a predicted transactionvalidation time (e.g., an average transaction validation time over aperiod) is less than a predicted time of receipt of the authorizationinformation. The criteria used to test the transaction metadata may belimited such that validation of the transaction metadata is likely to becomplete before the authorization information is received (e.g., intransmission 330 c of FIG. 3). As such, the validation processesdescribed herein need not slow down the overall speed of transactionprocessing. A predicted time period may be associated with one or moreof: receipt of transaction metadata, and validation of transactionmetadata may be determined. Such a predicted time period mightcorrespond to, for example, transmission 320 a through one or moretransmissions (e.g., transmission 320 h) of FIG. 3. In this manner, theone or more criteria may be determined so that the transaction metadatais ingested (e.g., by the authorization decisioning engine 308) at thesame time or before the authorization information is received. Based onthat average time period, the one or more criteria may be adjusted. Inthis manner, the criteria might be adjusted such that the validationprocesses are predicted to be equal to or less than the average timeperiod.

As part of step 402, the transaction metadata may be processed furtherto determine whether the transaction metadata supports authorizing atransaction. For example, if the transaction metadata contains anindication of a geographic location, the geographic location may becompared to a database of geographic locations associated with fraud. Asanother example, if the transaction metadata contains an indication ofan item purchased by a transaction, the system may determine whether theitem is associated with fraud (e.g., is a gift card or other item whichmight be used to launder funds). As another example, the transaction maybe associated with a time period and/or a location, and determiningwhether to authorize the financial transaction may be based on the timeperiod and/or the location. This is because, for example, a location(e.g., a website, a geographical location such as a particular store)might be associated with fraud. As yet another example, the transactionmetadata may comprise an identification of a user associated with thefinancial transaction, and determining whether to authorize thefinancial transaction may be based on the identification of the user.For example, if the user is a particular member of a household, thefinancial transaction might be subject to relatively less scrutiny ascompared to other members of the household. This might be particularlyvaluable where, for instance, a credit card is shared by a family andmight be used by young children to make online purchases. As yet anotherexample, the transaction metadata may comprise shipping informationcorresponding to the transaction, and determining whether to authorizethe financial transaction is based on whether the shipping informationcorresponds to a user associated with the financial transaction. Forexample, if a credit card owned by a family in Nebraska is used topurchase goods for delivery in Russia, such use might indicate fraud.Such steps may vary widely based on an understanding of which aspects oftransaction metadata may indicate a valid or potentially fraudulenttransaction. As such, processing the transaction metadata in step 402may additionally and/or alternatively comprise querying one or moredatabases for and receiving a set of criteria/rules for the transactionmetadata, and/or may comprise querying one or more databases forinformation associated with a user. In turn, processing the transactionmetadata may comprise comparing the transaction metadata to one or moredata elements associated with the user of a payment method, such as theuser's address, name, shopping habits, or the like.

As indicated by the discussion above, the transaction metadata may beprocessed in such a manner that considers one or more items to bepurchased via the financial transaction. For instance, the system mayconsider an identity of the one or more items, a quantity of the one ormore items, whether the one or more items comprise a gift card, a priceassociated with the one or more items, and/or whether the one or moreitems are regularly ordered by a customer associated with the paymentinformation. For example, because gift cards are commonly used toeffectuate fraud, the purchase of a gift card might be more probative ofpotential fraud. As another example, a large quantity of high-priceditems might be probative of potential fraud.

The transaction metadata may be processed in such a manner thatconsiders a history of financial transactions associated with thepayment information. For example, if the payment information is used aspart of high-dollar-value transactions, a sudden instance of alow-dollar-value transaction might be potentially fraudulent. As anotherexample, if payment information is typically used during weekdays butnever during a weekend, then use of the payment information during theweekend may indicate potential fraud. The history may be stored by oneor more databases, such as the database 311. For example, the historymay be based on transaction metadata stored in a database from previoustransactions.

In step 403, authorization information may be received from the paymentprocessing service 312 a and/or the payment network 312 b and by, e.g.,the authorization decisioning engine 308. The authorization informationmay correspond to the financial transaction. The authorizationinformation may indicate processing of the payment information by apayment processing service, such as the payment processing service 312a. As such, this step may be the same or similar as transmission 330 cof FIG. 3. The authorization information might, in certaincircumstances, be the type of information received by legacy systems toapprove a financial transaction. For example, the authorizationinformation may indicate, for example, whether a payment processingservice (e.g., the payment processing service 312 a and/or the paymentnetwork 312 b) has authorized payment information (e.g., credit cardnumbers) presented via the merchant transaction source 301. Theauthorization information may be received after the transaction metadatais validated. Indeed, it may be desirable for the transaction metadatato be validated (and, e.g., received by the authorization decisioningengine 308) before the authorization information is received, such thatprocessing of the transaction metadata does not slow down theauthorization process of the transaction. The authorization informationmay indicate whether the payment information was approved by the paymentprocessing service. The payment processing service may be, for example,one or more devices as part of a credit card network. The authorizationinformation may be received via a different pathway as compared to thetransaction metadata. For example, while the transaction metadata mightbe received via a first interface (e.g., as shown in transmission 320 bof FIG. 3), the authorization information may be received via a secondinterface (e.g., as shown in transmission 330 c of FIG. 3).

Though step 403 is shown as occurring after step 402 and before step404, step 403 may occur any time before, during, or after any of steps401 and/or 402. Because the payment information is processed in parallelto the transaction metadata (as described in FIGS. 2 and 3), it ispossible that the authorization information may be received sometimeduring the process of FIG. 4. That said, it may be desirable for theauthorization information to be received some time before the completionof step 402, as otherwise the system may be forced to wait for theauthorization information to perform additional steps.

Authorization information need not necessarily indicate whether atransaction should be rejected. Rather, such information may merelyindicate various checks made by a payment processing service. Forexample, the authorization information might comprise risk modelinformation, geographical information, whether or not certaincredentials (e.g., a credit card number) has been checked, or the like.The authorization information may comprise information detailed by ISO8583.

In step 404, the validated transaction metadata may be correlated withthe authorization information. This step may be performed by a varietyof computing devices, such as any portion(s) of the decision engine 370.Correlating the validated transaction metadata with the authorizationinformation may be based on the transaction data element validated instep 402. For example, correlating the validated transaction metadatawith the authorization information may comprise determining that bothpertain to a transaction that occurred at around the same time andinvolve the same merchant and/or customer. Recognizing transmissiondifferences, potential delay, and/or the potential for small butinconsequential inaccuracies, correlating the validated transactionmetadata with the authorization information need not comprise finding anexact match. For example, the validated transaction metadata maycorrespond to a time hundreds of milliseconds after the authorizationinformation, and yet both may pertain to the same transaction. Asanother example, the validated transaction metadata may correspond tothe authorization information within an acceptable margin of error.

Correlation may be performed using unique identifiers of a transaction.For example, a transaction may be assigned a unique alphanumericidentifier. That unique alphanumeric identifier may be assigned to boththe payment information transmitted to a payment processing service aswell as the transaction metadata. In turn, correlating the authorizationinformation and the transaction metadata may comprise confirming thatthe authorization information and the transaction metadata share thesame alphanumeric identifier.

In step 405, it may be determined whether to authorize the financialtransaction based on the authorization information and the correlatedtransaction metadata. Such a decision may be made by, for example, theauthorization decisioning engine 308. In other words, the two sets ofdata may be used to determine whether the financial transaction shouldbe authorized. Such a decision may be based on one or more criteria. Forexample, if either or both of the authorization information or thecorrelated transaction metadata indicate potential fraud, thentransaction may be rejected. If the determination is to authorize thefinancial transaction, the flowchart may proceed to step 406 a.Otherwise, the flowchart may proceed to step 406 b.

Broadly, the decision regarding whether to authorize the financialtransaction may be based on both the authorization information and thevalidated transaction metadata indicating that the financial transactionshould be authorized. In other words, if either set of data indicatesthat the transaction should not be authorized, then the decision in step405 might be negative (though, in some circumstances, one set of datamight overrule the other). With that said, such a Boolean result mightnot exist in all circumstances: for example, both the authorizationinformation and the validated/processed transaction metadata maycomprise a degree of confidence as to the veracity of a transaction,such as the decision in step 405 may be based on comparing the degreesof confidence to one or more thresholds.

In step 406 a, based on determining to authorize the financialtransaction, an indication that the financial transaction has beenauthorized may be transmitted back to the merchant or other source fromwhich the transaction metadata was received. Such a step may beperformed by, e.g., one or more of the devices of the data shareplatform 350. Alternatively, in step 406 b, based on determining to denythe financial transaction, an indication that the financial transactionhas not been authorized may be transmitted back to the merchant or othersource from which the transaction metadata was received. In either case,the indication may additionally and/or alternatively be sent to thepayment processing service and via the second interface such that, forexample, both the merchant and the payment processing service areinformed that the transaction was denied. The indication need not be inany particular format or transmitted in any particular way. For example,the indication might be a Boolean value (e.g., indicating whether thetransaction should be authorized), a numerical value (e.g., indicating aconfidence that the transaction is legitimate), or the like.

Dynamic Transaction Validation Adjustment in Advance.

Discussion will now turn to ways in which the above system may beconfigured in view of satisfying speed requirements for conventionalpayment processing systems. In particular, as will be detailed below,one advantage of the present system (and, in particular, the way inwhich it augments, in parallel, conventional payment processing) is thatit may be dynamically adjusted such that it is no slower than suchconventional payment processing.

As a preliminary introduction to FIG. 5, transaction metadata receivedfrom one or more merchants may be so voluminous so as to renderprocessing all of the transaction metadata take quite a long time. Insuch a circumstance, processing all transaction metadata mightundesirably delay transaction processing. In general, it can bedesirable to ensure that the processing of transaction metadata takesapproximately no longer than the average time of receipt ofauthorization information. In this manner, the transaction is, ineffect, no slower than it would be without the processing of transactionmetadata. This is a significant advantage to the augmentation ofconventional payment processing systems as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3: byprocessing transaction metadata in parallel (rather than entirelyreplacing traditional/conventional payment processing), the nature ofthe parallel processing of transaction metadata can be varied such thatit does not slow down the speed of conventional payment processing. Aswill be described with respect to FIG. 5, one way to ensure that theprocessing of transaction metadata takes no longer than the receipt anduse of authorization information is to select, in advance, whichelements of transaction metadata are to be processed. In this manner,even if large volumes of transaction metadata are already received, onlycertain pre-selected elements will be processed.

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart 500 showing steps for dynamic configuration oftransaction metadata analysis, with a particular focus on pre-selectingportions of transaction metadata for subsequent validation. Theflowchart 500 may be performed by one or more computing devices, such asthose depicted in FIG. 3. The steps shown in FIG. 5 may be all orportions of an algorithm. A computing device may comprise one or moreprocessors and memory storing instructions that, when executed by theone or more processors, cause the performance of all or portions of thesteps of FIG. 5.

In step 501, a predicted time of receipt, from a payment processingservice that processes payment information, of authorization informationmay be determined. Such a step may be performed by, e.g., one or moreportions of the decision engine 370. The average time of receipt maycorrespond to a plurality of financial transactions such that, forexample, the average time of receipt might be determined for a widevariety of financial transactions over a period of time. As the averagetime of receipt is a predicted, a precise value is not required, and arange of times may additionally and/or alternatively be used. Theauthorization information may indicate traditional/conventionalprocessing, by the payment processing service (e.g., Visa, MasterCard),of the payment information for a corresponding financial transaction.

The average time of receipt may be based on a history of receipt of theauthorization information over a period of time. In other words, theaverage time of receipt might be indicative of a time when authorizationinformation is received by a device, such as in transmission 330 c ofFIG. 3. At least one of the plurality of financial transactions may betimestamped or may otherwise be associated with a particular time ortime period. For instance, the average time of receipt might becalculated based on a group of transactions that occurred during aparticular period of time (e.g., transactions received at night, on theweekend, or the like). This is because transaction processing might beperformed at different speeds at different times, recognizing that theoverall volume of transactions might be different at different times(e.g., more in-person transactions during the day, more onlinetransactions in the evening). The average time of receipt might becalculated based on a group of transactions having a particular range ofpayment amounts. For example, the average time of receipt mightcorrespond to transactions that are greater than one hundred dollars invalue.

In step 502, a subset of one or more data elements of transactionmetadata that is expected to be received for various transactions may beselected. Such a step may be performed by, e.g., one or more portions ofthe decision engine 370. In other words, the system may select aspectsof not-yet-received transaction metadata for processing, in effectdeciding in advance which elements of transaction metadata will beconsidered. Selecting the subset of the one or more data elements maycomprise determining that validation of the subset of the one or moredata elements has an expected processing time that is less than or equalto the average time of receipt of the authorization information. In thismanner, the system may decide, in advance, which data elements oftransaction metadata can be processed without delaying transactionprocessing. Absolute precision need not required in such a circumstance,and validation of the subset of the one or more data elements might havean expected processing time that, on average, is equal to or less thanthe average time of receipt of authorization information within athreshold.

Selecting the subset of the one or more data elements of the transactionmetadata may comprise determining which data elements of transactionmetadata are expected to be received. This may entail, for instance,determining which data elements of transaction metadata have beenhistorically received. This may additionally and/or alternativelyentail, for example, predicting what data elements of transactionmetadata will be received from a particular merchant based on one ormore device(s) (e.g., the merchant transaction source 301) used toconduct the transaction.

Selecting the subset of the one or more data elements may be performedby selecting a combination of the one or more data elements such that asum of time periods corresponding to the subset is less than or equal tothe average time of receipt of the authorization information. Selectingthe subset of the one or more data elements may be based on a priorityof at least one of the one or more data elements. For example, one dataelement might be more probative of validity than another, such that theformer data element might be given a greater priority than the other.Selecting the subset of the one or more data elements may be based on acomplexity of at least one of the one or more data elements. Forexample, if one data element requires significant amounts of time tovalidate and/or process, it might not be included.

Selecting the subset of the one or more data elements may be based ondetermining, for the selected subset, an estimated time of processing.In turn, selecting the subset of the one or more data elements maycomprise determining, for the one or more data elements, a respectivetime period corresponding to validation. For example, a time-relateddata element might only take ten milliseconds to process, but ageography-related data element might take one hundred milliseconds toprocess. The system may calculate a time to process the selected subsetby processing example data and measuring the time taken to completelyprocess the example data. Additionally and/or alternatively, the systemmay individually process and time each element of the one or more dataelements, and then determine a plurality of data elements that have timewhich, when summed, is less than or equal to the average time of receiptof authorization information determined in step 501.

Selecting the subset of the one or more data elements may be performedby receiving user input specifying one or more of the data elements.Such user input may comprise an indication of which data elements areconsidered of particular importance. For example, the Media AccessControl (MAC) address of a device used to instantiate a transaction maybe of relatively low value to an organization in determining theveracity of a transaction, such that it might be assigned a relativelylow importance. In contrast, the geographical location of the samedevice might be of relatively significant value to an organization indetermining the veracity of a transaction, as the location of the devicemight indicate whether it is being used by an authorized user or not. Insuch a circumstance, the user input might comprise an indication ofwhich of the one or more data elements must be considered, such thatthose data elements must be included in the subset selected in step 502.

Selecting the subset of the one or more data elements may be performedon a periodic basis, such as the quantity and/or identity of theselected one or more data elements may change over time. In this manner,changes to the system (e.g., increases in processing power, addedtransaction volume, etc.) may be take into consideration when selectingwhich of the one or more data elements should be processed whentransaction metadata is received. For example, the subset of the one ormore data elements may be selected every week, such that changes tonetwork speed, storage device speed, processor speed, or the like may betaken into account.

In step 503 transaction metadata may be received from a merchant. Such astep may be performed by, e.g., one or more portions of the data shareplatform 350. The transaction metadata may comprise the one or more dataelements. The one or more data elements may correspond to one or moreattributes of a new financial transaction. Each of the plurality offinancial transactions may be associated with the merchant. This stepmay be the same or similar as step 401 of FIG. 4.

In step 504, the transaction metadata may be validated and/or processedbased on the selected subset of the one or more data elements. Such astep may be performed by, e.g., one or more portions of the data shareplatform 350. Validating and/or processing the one or more of theplurality of data elements may comprise validating a transaction dataelement of the transaction metadata. For example, validating thetransaction metadata may be based on a location associated with the newfinancial transaction. This step may be the same or similar as step 402of FIG. 4.

Validating and/or processing the transaction metadata in step 504 maycomprise discarding or storing, for later, portions of the transactionmetadata that have not been selected. For example, if the subset of theone or more data elements selected in step 502 comprise only three dataelements, but the transaction metadata comprises fifty data elements,then the remaining forty-seven data elements may be discarded or storedfor later use. Indeed, as will be discussed with respect to FIGS. 9 and10, storage may be advisable to allow merchants and/or customers tolater retrieve and use transaction metadata.

In step 505, first authorization information corresponding to the newfinancial transaction may be received from the payment processingservice. This step may be the same or similar as step 403 of FIG. 4.

In step 506, the computing device may determine whether to authorize thenew financial transaction based on the first authorization informationand the validated transaction metadata. Such a step may be performed by,e.g., one or more portions of the decision engine 370. This step may bethe same or similar as step 405 of FIG. 4. If the computing devicedetermines to authorize the transaction, the flowchart 500 proceeds tostep 507 a, which may be the same or similar as step 406 a of FIG. 4.Otherwise, the flowchart 500 proceeds to step 507 b, which may be thesame or similar as step 406 b of FIG. 5.

Dynamic Transaction Metadata Validation Adjustment Based on NetworkConditions

Discussion will now turn to another modification which may be made tothe direct data share system in view of time limitations posed byconventional payment processing system. In particular, such amodification may be of particular value where transaction metadata mayvary greatly in size and scope.

As a preliminary introduction to FIG. 6, transaction metadata receivedfrom one or more merchants may be so voluminous that processing all ofthe transaction metadata is likely to take quite a long time. Moreover,the transaction metadata may vary in size and scope wildly: somemerchants may send a significant quantity of metadata, whereas othersmight only send a limited quantity, or may omit portions of thetransaction metadata which might be otherwise expected. In acircumstance where such transaction metadata has been received, it maybe desirable to select, after receipt of the transaction metadata,portions of the transaction metadata for processing so as to avoidunnecessary delays in transaction processing. In other words, ratherthan selecting such elements in advance (as described above with respectto FIG. 5), it may instead be advantageous to perform such a selectionfor each set of transaction metadata received. In this manner, amerchant might feel free to send all transaction metadata, and thesystem can dynamically use such transaction metadata based on variousconsiderations, like a predicted processing speed, existing at thattime.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart 600 showing steps for dynamic configuration oftransaction metadata analysis, with a particular focus on selectingportions of received transaction metadata for processing. The flowchart600 may be performed by one or more computing devices, such as thosedepicted in FIG. 3. The steps shown in FIG. 6 may be all or portions ofan algorithm. A computing device may comprise one or more processors andmemory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the performance of all or portions of the steps ofFIG. 6.

In step 601, a predicted time of receipt of authorization informationmay be determined. This step may be the same or similar as performed instep 501 of FIG. 5.

In step 602, transaction metadata comprising a plurality of dataelements corresponding to one or more attributes of a financialtransaction may be received via a first interface and from a merchant.Such a step may be performed by, e.g., one or more portions of the datashare platform 350. The transaction metadata may be associated with aconcurrent transmission of payment information, for the financialtransaction, to a payment processing service. The transaction metadatamay comprise information regarding one or more items to be purchased viathe financial transaction. This step may be the same or similar as step401 of FIG. 4.

As indicated above, the transaction metadata received in step 601 maypotentially be too voluminous to be completely processed. Additionallyand/or alternatively, the transaction metadata might not contain aconsistent quantity or type of data: for example, the transactionmetadata might sometimes contain GPS data, whereas in other instances itmight not. Given that the transaction metadata might vary widely, thesystem might not be able to anticipate what elements will be received,and thus the system cannot decide in advance which elements to process(as might be the case in, for example, FIG. 5).

In step 603, it may be determined whether all of the transactionmetadata can be processed given the average time of receipt ofauthorization information determined in step 601. Such a step may beperformed by, e.g., one or more portions of the data share platform 350and/or the decision engine 370. In other words, given the transactionmetadata received in step 602, the system may determine whether allelements may be validated and processed before the authorizationinformation is expected to be received. If not all of the transactionmetadata can be processed, the system proceeds to step 604. On the otherhand, if all of the transaction metadata can be processed, the systemproceeds to step 605.

Determining whether all of the transaction metadata can be processedgiven the average time of receipt of authorization information maycomprise determining an expected time of processing one or more portionsof the transaction metadata. It might not be possible to accuratelyestimate the time to process transaction metadata, particularly wherereceived transaction metadata might be particularly complicated orvoluminous. As such, various estimating techniques might be used. Forexample, the expected time of processing one or more portions of thereceived transaction metadata might be determined based on a count ofdata elements of the received transaction metadata, a file size of thereceived transaction metadata, historical processing times of similartransaction metadata (e.g., from a similar merchant or point-of-salesystem), or the like.

In step 604, a subset of the plurality of data elements may be selectedto validate based on one or more criteria. Such a step may be performedby, e.g., one or more portions of the data share platform 350 and/or thedecision engine 370. Such a step may be particularly useful where thetransaction metadata is particularly voluminous, such that processing ofall of the transaction metadata might be undesirably slow.

The subset selected may be selected based on the estimated time ofreceipt, from a payment processing service that processes paymentinformation, of authorization information corresponding to the financialtransaction, as determined in step 601. As indicated above with respectto FIG. 4, this estimated time of receipt might be associated with aparticular time or particular processing conditions, such that it mightbe an estimated time of receipt for the immediate transaction. Forexample, on a particularly busy day, authorization information might betaking longer to receive than normal, allowing more time for processingof additional transaction metadata received from a merchant. As anotherexample, because fewer transactions might occur in the evening,additional processing resources might be available during the evening,such that more transaction metadata may be processed in the evening ascompared to during the day—even if the authorization information takesroughly the same amount of time to be received.

Selecting the subset of the plurality of data elements of the receivedtransaction metadata may be performed by selecting a combination of theone or more data elements such that a sum of time periods correspondingto the subset is less than or equal to the average time of receipt ofthe authorization information determined in step 601. As was the casewith respect to FIG. 5, selecting the subset of the one or more dataelements of the received transaction metadata may be based on a priorityof at least one of the one or more data elements. Selecting the subsetof the one or more data elements of the received transaction metadatamay additionally and/or alternatively be based on a complexity of atleast one of the one or more data elements. For example, if one dataelement requires significant amounts of time to validate and/or process,it might not be included.

Selecting the subset of the one or more data elements of the receivedtransaction metadata may be based on determining an estimated time ofprocessing for all or portions of the received transaction metadata. Forexample, selecting the subset of the one or more data elements of thereceived transaction metadata may comprise determining, for the one ormore data elements, a respective time period corresponding to validationand/or processing. For instance, the system may individually process andtime each element of the one or more data elements, and then determine aplurality of data elements that have time which, when summed, is lessthan or equal to the average time of receipt of authorizationinformation determined in step 501. That said, exactitude is notrequired to determine such time periods: because speed is critical, andbecause estimating the time periods might itself take time, roughapproximations might be used in some circumstances.

Selecting the subset of the one or more data elements of the receivedtransaction metadata may be performed by receiving user input specifyingone or more data elements that are expected to be received in thetransaction metadata. Such user input may comprise an indication ofwhich data elements are considered of particular importance such that,if they are received, they should be processed. For example, if thegeographical location of a device associated with a transaction isreceived, it might be of particular use in determining the veracity of atransaction. In such a circumstance, the user input might comprise anindication that the data element should be processed.

Selecting the subset of the one or more data elements may be performedon a periodic basis, such as the quantity and/or identity of theselected one or more data elements may change over time. In this manner,changes to the system (e.g., increases in processing power, addedtransaction volume, etc.) may be take into consideration when selectingwhich of the one or more data elements should be processed whentransaction metadata is received. For example, the subset of the one ormore data elements may be selected every week, such that changes tonetwork speed, storage device speed, processor speed, or the like may betaken into account.

In step 605, transaction metadata may be validated and/or processed.Such a step may be performed by, e.g., one or more portions of the datashare platform 350. If a subset of the transaction metadata wasselected, then only the subset of the plurality of data elements wouldbe validated and/or processed. Validating the transaction metadata maycomprise at least validating a transaction data element of thetransaction metadata. Validating the transaction metadata may be basedon a location associated with the financial transaction. Validating thetransaction metadata may be based on one or more of an identity of theone or more items, a quantity of the one or more items, whether the oneor more items comprise a gift card, a price associated with the one ormore items, and/or whether the one or more items are regularly orderedby a customer associated with the payment information. Processing thetransaction metadata may comprise determining whether one or moreportions of the transaction metadata indicate that the transaction isvalid and/or should be authorized. This step may be the same or similaras step 402 of FIG. 4.

In step 606, the authorization information may be received via thesecond interface and from the payment processing service. This step maybe the same or similar as step 403 of FIG. 4.

In step 607, a computing device may determine whether to authorize thefinancial transaction based on the authorization information and thevalidated transaction metadata. Such a step may be performed by, e.g.,one or more portions of the decision engine 370. This step may be thesame or similar as step 405 of FIG. 4. If the computing devicedetermines to authorize the financial transaction, the flowchart 600 mayproceed to step 608 a. Otherwise, the flowchart 600 may proceed to step608 b. If the computing device determines to authorize the transaction,the flowchart proceeds to step 608 a, which may be the same or similaras step 406 a of FIG. 4. Otherwise, the flowchart proceeds to step 608b, which may be the same or similar as step 406 b of FIG. 5.

Enhanced Feedback Exposure for Merchants Based on Transaction Metadata

Discussion will now turn to the benefits of using the transactionmetadata to augment traditional payment processing services. Inparticular, one advantage of using transaction metadata during paymentprocessing is that such metadata may be later used to provide insightinto transactions to merchants when transactions are deemed fraudulentor disputed.

As a preliminary introduction to FIG. 7, transaction metadata may beuseful for providing stakeholders, such as merchants, additional insightinto transactions. After all, such information might not only remind themerchant about past transactions, but might provide key insight into thetypes of transactions that will be granted and/or denied. Moreover, suchinformation may be valuable for accounting purposes. That said, someportions of transaction metadata may be confidential (in that, e.g., ituniquely identifies individuals, provides credit card numbers, or thelike), such that it should not be provided to merchants under anycircumstances. Moreover, given the volume and detail of transactionmetadata (as, after all, it could be hundreds of megabytes ofidiosyncratic detail), it may be advantageous to provide stakeholders,such as merchants, straightforward ways to access this transactionmetadata when desired without inundating those same merchants withunnecessary or unhelpful detail. That said, providing merchants and/orother stakeholders all transaction metadata might be undesirable, as itmight provide fraudsters insight into how to create fraudulenttransactions which simulate real transactions. Additionally, merchantlogin information might be improperly used by unauthorized users, suchthat it may be desirable to limit the amount of transaction metadataaccessible by a merchant for security purposes. Thus, the system cannotsimply provide merchants unrestricted access to transaction metadata,even if those same merchants provided some or all of the transactionmetadata.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart 700 showing steps for providing informationassociated with a financial transaction. The flowchart 700 may beperformed by one or more computing devices, such as those depicted inFIG. 3. The steps shown in FIG. 7 may be all or portions of analgorithm. A computing device may comprise one or more processors andmemory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the performance of all or portions of the steps ofFIG. 7.

In step 701, transaction metadata comprising one or more data elementscorresponding to one or more attributes of a financial transaction maybe received via a first interface and from a merchant. Such a step maybe performed by, e.g., one or more portions of the data share platform350. For example, the transaction metadata may comprise informationregarding one or more items to be purchased via the transaction. Thisstep may be the same or similar as step 401 of FIG. 4.

In step 702, a reference ID for the financial transaction may begenerated. Such a step may be performed by, e.g., one or more portionsof the data share platform 350. The reference ID may be any identifierof the financial transaction. Generating the reference ID may comprisegenerating the reference ID such that it uniquely identifies thefinancial transaction. For example, the reference ID may be a uniqueidentifier of the financial transaction, such as a unique string ofnumbers and/or characters. The reference ID may be a combination ofvarious elements of the transaction metadata, such as an identifier of amerchant associated with the financial transaction, an identifier of atime period associated with the financial transaction, or the like. Thereference ID may be based, in whole or in part, on an identity of themerchant.

In step 703, the reference ID may be sent to the merchant. Such a stepmay be performed by, e.g., one or more portions of the data shareplatform 350. The reference ID may be transmitted to the merchant via,for example, the server 302. The reference ID may additionally and/oralternatively stored in a database, such as the database 311. Thereference ID may be sent and/or stored in a manner that associates thereference ID with the transaction metadata. The reference ID may be asecret and might be sent only to the merchant. Though step 703 isdepicted as occurring before step 704, step 703 may be performed at manydifferent times. For instance, the reference ID might be sent to themerchant a month after a transaction is completed.

One method in which the reference ID may be sent to the merchant may bea periodic accounting or similar reporting document. For example, thesystem may transmit, on a weekly basis, a report of all transactions tothe merchant. Such a report may comprise, among other things, a listingof the reference IDs for various transactions, along with correspondingpayment amounts and related details.

In step 704, authorization information may be received via a secondinterface and from a payment processing service. Such a step may beperformed by, e.g., one or more portions of the decision engine 370. Theauthorization information may correspond to the financial transaction.The authorization information may indicate processing of paymentinformation by the payment processing service. The payment processingservice may be a credit card network associated with the paymentinformation. This step may be the same or similar as step 403 of FIG. 4.

In step 705, a computing device may determine, based on the transactionmetadata and the authorization information, whether to authorize thetransaction. This step may be the same or similar as step 405 of FIG. 4.Such a step may be performed by, e.g., one or more portions of thedecision engine 370. If the computing device determines to authorize thefinancial transaction, the flowchart 700 may proceed to step 706 a,which may be the same or similar as step 406 a of FIG. 4. Otherwise, theflowchart 700 may proceed to step 706 b, which may be the same orsimilar as step 406 b of FIG. 4.

As part of determining whether to authorize the transaction, all orportions of the transaction metadata may be stored in a database.Storing all or portions of the transaction metadata may advantageouslyallow the system to refer back to the transaction metadata when, forexample, later considering reasons why a transaction may have beendenied (as discussed below). The transaction metadata may be stored in adatabase as correlated with the reference ID generated in step 702.

In step 707 a request for additional information may be received fromthe merchant. Such a step may be performed by, e.g., one or moreportions of the data share platform 350. The request for additionalinformation may comprise the reference ID. In this manner, the merchantmay request additional detail as to why the transaction may have beendenied.

A request for additional information may be received from the merchantin a variety of circumstances. In some circumstances, the merchant mayprovide, through a device (e.g., a point-of-sale device), an indicationof the reference ID, thereby requesting the one or more reasonsdetermined in step 706 b. Such a request could be as simple as pressinga “Why?” button on a computing device, or inputting the reference IDinto a particular form. Additionally and/or alternatively, the requestfor additional information may be part of an accounting and/orresolution process using another computing device. For example, a seriesof reference IDs may be received from a merchant device, eachcorresponding to a transaction for which the merchant requests moredetail.

The request for additional information need not indicate that atransaction was denied. Such requests may be received based on, forexample, a merchant investigating more detail about a past transactionfor accounting purposes, and/or as part of a merchant learning todistinguish between valid and invalid transactions. Other reasons why amerchant may request additional information may include verifying ane-mail address of a customer, validating that a customer purchased aparticular item in the past (e.g., for the purposes of digital rightsmanagement), or the like.

In step 708, one or more reasons why the financial transaction was orwas not authorized may be determined. Such a step may be performed by,e.g., one or more portions of the data share platform 350 and/or thedecision engine 370. Such reasons need not relate to all of thetransaction metadata, but may instead be a summary of the reasons whythe system approved or denied a transaction. For example, hundreds ofdifferent data elements may have been considered as part of anauthorization decision, but the primary reason (e.g., “the transactionoriginated from an unexpected location”) may be the only reason stored.For example, the financial transaction may have been authorized (ormight not have been authorized) because the computing device may havedetermined that the financial transaction is associated with a trustedor an untrusted location. In such a circumstance, the one or morereasons may indicate the location. The one or more reasons may be basedon, for example, an identity of the one or more items, a quantity of theone or more items, whether the one or more items comprise a gift card, aprice associated with the one or more items, and/or whether the one ormore items are regularly ordered by a customer associated with thepayment information.

The steps depicted in FIG. 7 may be reordered as desired, and need notbe performed in the manner shown in FIG. 7. For example, determining theone or more reasons in step 708 may be performed before receiving therequest for additional information in step 707 because the reasons mightbe determined in advance, stored in a database, and accessed upondemand. As a particular example of this implementation, a computingdevice may be configured to store, in a database (e.g., the database311), reasons for approval or denial along with transaction metadata andauthorization information. Such storage not only would be of value fortraining a machine learning model, but would also be useful such that,if the request for additional information in step 707 is received muchlater, the reasons would be preserved and available for access.

In step 709, information corresponding to the determined one or morereasons may be sent to, e.g., the merchant. Such a step may be performedby, e.g., one or more portions of the data share platform 350. Theinformation may be sent in response to the request for additionalinformation. The one or more reasons may be queried from a databaseusing the reference ID and sent to the merchant. Sending the informationcorresponding to the one or more reasons may comprise obfuscating, fromthe information, personal data. For example, names of individualsinvolved in the transaction may be obfuscated. Sending the datacorresponding to the one or more reasons is based on authenticatingcredentials unique to the merchant. Such credentials may be receivedfrom, e.g., the merchant and as part of the request for additionalinformation. The information corresponding to the one or more reasonsmay indicate that a user associated with the financial transaction isnot permitted to use a payment method corresponding to the paymentinformation. For example, the information may indicate that a certainindividual is untrusted. As another example, the computing device mayhave determined that the financial transaction is not authorized becausethe financial transaction is associated with delivery of an item to alocation, and the one or more reasons may indicate the location. In thismanner, the merchant might learn that customers from certain locations(e.g., certain countries) are untrusted. As yet another example, theinformation may indicate that transaction metadata was received too lateto make a sufficiently quick decision.

Enhanced Feedback Exposure for Users Based on Transaction Metadata

As a preliminary introduction to FIG. 8, transaction metadata may beused to help provide outside parties, such as customers, with details ontransactions. For example, customers may inquire about the details ofpast transactions while using banking applications, in effect requestinga digital receipt with deep levels of information about the transactionsthey have been involved in. As such, it may be desirable to implementmethods for providing third parties, like customers, a limited view intothe particularities of various transactions. That is particularly thecase where some aspects of transaction metadata must be kept a secretfor security purposes. That said, such a view must necessarily belimited, as too much insight into authorization processes might providethird parties ideas on how to better effectuate fraud.

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart 800 showing steps for providing transactionmetadata information after transaction authorization. The flowchart 800may be performed by one or more computing devices, such as thosedepicted in FIG. 3. The steps shown in FIG. 8 may be all or portions ofan algorithm. A computing device may comprise one or more processors andmemory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the performance of all or portions of the steps ofFIG. 8.

In step 801, transaction metadata comprising one or more data elementscorresponding to one or more attributes of a financial transaction maybe received via a first interface and from a merchant. Such a step maybe performed by, e.g., one or more portions of the data share platform350. The transaction metadata may be associated with a concurrenttransmission of payment information, for the financial transaction, to apayment processing service. This step may be the same or similar as step401 of FIG. 4.

In step 802, the transaction metadata may be tested based on one or morecriteria. Such a step may be performed by, e.g., one or more portions ofthe data share platform 350. Testing the transaction metadata maycomprise selecting a portion of the one or more data elements to testusing the one or more criteria. This step may be the same or similar assteps 402 and/or 404 of FIG. 4.

In step 803, a computing device may determine whether to authorize thefinancial transaction based on the tested transaction metadata and basedon authorization information that indicates processing of the paymentinformation by the payment processing service. Such a step may beperformed by, e.g., one or more portions of the decision engine 370. Theauthorization information may correspond to the financial transaction.The authorization information may have been received from the paymentprocessing service. If the computing device determines to authorize thefinancial transaction, the flowchart 800 may proceed to step 804 a. Thisstep may be the same or similar as step 405 of FIG. 4. Otherwise, theflowchart 800 may proceed to step 804 b. If the computing devicedetermines to authorize the transaction, the flowchart proceeds to step804 a, which may be the same or similar as step 406 a of FIG. 4.Otherwise, the flowchart proceeds to step 804 b, which may be the sameor similar as step 406 b of FIG. 4.

In step 805, a request for transaction information associated with thefinancial transaction may be received. Such a step may be performed by,e.g., one or more portions of the data share platform 350. The requestmay be received from a user device, such as a device of the customerthat initiated the transaction. Additionally and/or alternatively, therequest may be received from a merchant. The request may be receivedafter determining whether to authorize the financial transaction. Forexample, the request may be associated with a user requestinginformation about a transaction that they forgot about.

The request for transaction information need not suggest that thetransaction was denied. For example, the request for transactioninformation might be received from a user that forgot about atransaction, and/or a user that is reviewing past transactions for thepurposes of accounting.

The request for transaction information received in step 805 maycomprise a unique transaction reference identifier. For example, theunique transaction reference identifier may be an alphanumeric stringthat uniquely identifies a particular transaction, such as thetransaction corresponding to the transaction metadata received in step801. As another example, the unique transaction reference identifier maycomprise one or more portions of a credit card number, a transactionamount, or the like. Virtually any data may comprise a uniquetransaction reference identifier, so long as it may be used to uniquelyidentify a transaction. The unique transaction reference identifier mayhave been generated as part of step 803, 804 a, and/or 804 b.

Such an identifier might be received by, for example, a user clicking ona button in a banking application. Additionally and/or alternatively,such an identifier may be received as part of a customer serviceplatform, such that a customer may call in to a customer service lineand, with the help of an agent, provide the request to a computingdevice.

In step 806, a transaction summary may be generated. Such a step may beperformed by, e.g., one or more portions of the data share platform 350.The transaction summary may be generated in response to the request forthe transaction information. The transaction summary may be generatedbased on the transaction metadata. For example, the transaction summarymight be a subset of all information (e.g., transaction metadata)available about the transaction. The transaction summary may indicateone or more items purchased by the financial transaction. For example,the transaction summary might itemize which items were purchased at aparticular time and at a particular store. The transaction summary mayindicate one or more reasons why the financial transaction wasauthorized. For example, the transaction summary might indicate that,because of the low cost of the items and/or the location of thetransaction, the transaction was authorized. The transaction summary mayindicate a device used to initiate the financial transaction. Forexample, the transaction summary might indicate that the transaction wasconducted on a certain smartphone or via a certain website.

Generating the transaction summary may comprise selecting one or moreportions of the transaction metadata to include in the transactionsummary. For example, personally identifying information might not beincluded in the transaction summary, whereas item amounts and a time inwhich a transaction was completed may be included. Generating thetransaction summary may additionally and/or alternatively compriseobfuscating one or more portions of the transaction metadata. Forexample, an identification of a cashier involved in the transactionmight not be included in the transaction summary, and/or theidentification might be replaced with a generic identifier (e.g.,“Cashier 1”). In this manner, confidential or otherwise sensitiveaspects of transaction metadata may be kept from an individual, butroughly similar information may be provided. This may be particularlyvaluable where such information could potentially be used to effectuatefraud.

Before generating the transaction summary, a computing device maydetermine that the user device is authorized to access information aboutthe financial transaction. For example, authorization credentialsassociated with the request in step 805 might be authenticated beforethe transaction summary is generated. In this manner, should thetransaction summary potentially contain sensitive information (e.g.,information indicating the purchase of potentially embarrassing goods orservices), such information might be protected from unauthorized access.

In step 807, the transaction summary may be sent to, e.g., the userdevice or another computing device, such as a computing deviceassociated with a call center. Such a step may be performed by, e.g.,one or more portions of the data share platform 350. Sending thetransaction summary may comprise causing the transaction summary to bedisplayed as part of an account statement. For example, the transactionsummary might be provided to a user as part of a banking application orwebsite. As another example, the transaction summary may be sent to acall center computer such that a call center agent can provide (e.g.,over the telephone) information about a transaction.

Parallel Transaction Pre-Authentication Platform

Discussion will now turn to using transaction metadata forpre-authorizing transactions, such as particularly high-valuetransactions, in order to aid in the security and reliability of thosetransactions. Such a system, which may augment conventional two-factorauthorization systems, can provide merchants a unique way to check, inadvance, whether a transaction is trustworthy.

As a preliminary introduction to FIG. 9, certain transactions maybenefit from additional security processes. For example, high-value orunusual transactions (e.g., those initiated in foreign countries) mightbenefit from additional authorization steps to combat fraud. In such acircumstance, it may be desirable to use portions of transactionmetadata to pre-authorize transactions, such that the possibility offraud as to those transactions is lessened. This also may advantageouslyexpedite the overall processing speed of transactions, aspre-authorization may be performed long before a payment processingnetwork (e.g., the payment processing service 312 a and/or the paymentnetwork 312 b) is involved. With that said, such pre-authorization neednot necessarily involve all of the steps that are involved in a completeauthorization—after all, there may be a possibility that the transactionis cancelled even if successfully authorized.

FIG. 9 shows a flowchart 900 showing steps for preauthorizing financialtransactions. The flowchart 900 may be performed by one or morecomputing devices, such as those depicted in FIG. 3. The steps shown inFIG. 9 may be all or portions of an algorithm. A computing device maycomprise one or more processors and memory storing instructions that,when executed by the one or more processors, cause the performance ofall or portions of the steps of FIG. 9.

In step 901, a system (such as any of the devices shown as part of thedata share platform 350 of FIG. 3) may receive an indication of atransaction from a merchant device (e.g., the merchant transactionsource 301 and/or the server 302). The indication need not be in anyparticular format. The indication may be as simple as an indication thata financial transaction has been initiated with respect to a particularcustomer and/or a particular merchant. The indication may comprisedetails about a time of the transaction, an amount of the transaction, alocation of the transaction, or the like. The indication may betransmitted based on, for example, a customer placing goods in a virtualcart, a customer placing their credit card in a machine, or the like.

In step 902, transaction metadata associated with the financialtransaction may be received from the merchant. Such a step may beperformed by, e.g., one or more portions of the data share platform 350.This step may be the same or similar as step 401 of FIG. 4.

In step 903, a computing device (e.g., the authorization decisioningengine 308 of FIG. 3 and/or other portions of the decision engine 370)may determine whether the financial transaction should be and/or islikely to be authorized. The preauthorization described in step 903might be performed to provide a merchant an indication of whether anupcoming transaction would be authorized, and/or to show the merchantthat additional checks have been put in place to expedite subsequentauthorization of the financial transaction. In some instances,preauthorization may serve to allow merchants to know when a transactionis likely to be rejected, allowing the transactions to avoid wastingadditional time on certain transactions. In other instances,preauthorization may ultimately slow the speed of transactions (e.g.,because a customer must use their phone to answer a video or voice callto preauthorize the transaction), but such steps may be desirable tovouchsafe the transaction. If the transaction is preauthorized, theflowchart 900 may proceed to step 904. Otherwise, the flowchart 900 mayproceed to step 905.

Preauthorizing the transaction may comprise use of a one-time-usepassword. As part of step 903, a user may be sent a one-time-usepassword. Sending the one-time-use password may comprise sending theone-time-use password to a destination associated with a user, such asthe user's smartphone, e-mail address, or the like. The user may thenuse the one-time-use password (e.g., in a form, over the telephone, orthe like) to indicate that the user is authorized to conduct thetransaction. In this manner, the identity of the user might beconfirmed, and/or an e-mail address of the user might be confirmed. Suchsteps may aid in the overall security of the transaction, and mightallow a merchant to readily determine whether a user would be authorizedto conduct a future transaction.

Preauthorizing the transaction may be all or portions of a two-factorauthorization scheme. As will be discussed further below,preauthorization of a transaction need not be required to allow atransaction to proceed. That said, preauthorization of a transaction mayprovide additional security for transactions and, in some instances, maypermit subsequent authorization steps to be somewhat more simple orreliable. Determining whether to preauthorize the financial transactionmay comprise sending a request for authorization of the financialtransaction to a user device. Sending the request for authorization ofthe financial transaction to the user device may comprise sending, tothe user device, an authorization code. Sending the request forauthorization of the financial transaction to the user device maycomprise initiating a video or voice call to the user device.Determining whether to preauthorize the financial transaction maycomprise receiving, from the user device, a response to the request forauthorization of the financial transaction. The response to the requestfor authorization may comprise the authorization code. The response tothe request for authorization may comprise a unique credentialassociated with the user. Determining whether to preauthorize thefinancial transaction may be based on an identity of the user. Forexample, a transaction might only be preauthorized for certain users ofa credit card or banking account.

One reason why preauthorization may be useful is that it may allow forslower, but more robust, analysis of transaction metadata. As indicatedabove (with respect to, e.g., FIGS. 5 and 6), time delays in authorizingfinancial transactions are generally unwelcome. By conducting thepre-authorization before traditional payment processing systems evenbegin (e.g., before transmission 330 a of FIG. 3), additional time canbe gained and used to authorize a transaction. Stated differently, thepre-authorization process can perform validation and processing oftransaction metadata well before a payment processing service everbegins considering whether to authorize a transaction, such that thetransaction may still be conducted quickly (and, e.g., in accordancewith applicable network timing requirements). With that said, thepre-authorization process need not be performed at a particular timebefore other authorization steps are performed.

Determining whether to preauthorize the financial transaction maycomprise testing the transaction metadata based on one or more criteria.In other words, step 903 may comprise all or portions of step 405 ofFIG. 4. Because preauthorization may provide for a substantial amount oftime as compared to traditional authorization steps (as described in,for example, FIG. 4), many more data elements of transaction metadatamay be received and considered, and much lengthier validation andprocessing steps may be performed. In other words, many of the concernsdiscussed with FIGS. 5 and 6 (e.g., limited time periods for validationand processing requiring selection of all or portions of transactionmetadata to be processed) are not as strong. Such additional validationand processing may itself be a reason to encourage merchants topre-authorize transactions, particularly where high-value transactionsare concerns. That said, preauthorizing the transaction need notcomprise making all determinations that are required for fullyauthorizing a financial transaction. The preauthorization might compriseonly a fraction of steps required to fully authorize a transaction.

Transactions might be preauthorized because they satisfy certainpreconditions. For example, high-value and/or high-risk transactionsmight require preauthorization, whereas low-value and/or low-risktransactions might not. Transactions in foreign countries might requirepreauthorization, whereas transactions at a home of an owner of apayment method might not. The decision as to whether a transactionrequires preauthorization might be made by a merchant (e.g., via codeexecuting on the server 302).

In step 904, an indication of whether the financial transaction ispreauthorized may be sent to the merchant device. Such a step may beperformed by, e.g., one or more portions of the data share platform 350.Sending the indication of whether the financial transaction ispreauthorized may comprise sending, to the merchant device, instructionsconfigured to cause the merchant device to send the payment informationto the payment processing service. In other words, further steps by themerchant device might be conditioned on receiving a preauthorization. Inthis way, the merchant device may be configured to send the paymentinformation to the payment processing service in response to theindication of whether the financial transaction is preauthorized.

In step 905, authorization information may be received. Such a step maybe performed by, e.g., one or more portions of the decision engine 370.The authorization information may be received after sending theindication of whether the financial transaction is preauthorized. Theauthorization information may be received from a payment processingservice. The authorization information may corresponding to thefinancial transaction. The authorization information may indicateprocessing, by the payment processing service, of payment informationassociated with the financial transaction. As indicated above, theauthorization information may be received after the pre-authorization(e.g., steps 903 and 904) has been conducted, such that subsequentauthorization steps (e.g., step 906, described below) can be conductedquickly (and, e.g., in accordance with applicable payment network timingrequirements). The authorization information may indicate whether thepayment information was approved by the payment processing service. Thisstep may be the same or similar as step 403 of FIG. 4.

In step 906, a computing device may determine whether to authorize thetransaction. Such a step may be performed by, e.g., one or more portionsof the decision engine 370. Determining whether to authorize thetransaction may be based on determining that the financial transactionwas preauthorized. The steps used to determine whether to authorize thetransaction in step 906 may be based on those already performed as partof the pre-authorization: for example, if the pre-authorization performssubstantially all checks required, then the determination in step 906may be significantly simpler. Determining whether to authorize thetransaction may be based on the authorization information and/or maycomprise selecting a portion of one or more data elements of thetransaction metadata (e.g., those not tested during preauthorization) totest using the one or more criteria. This step may be the same orsimilar as step 405 of FIG. 4. If the computing device determines toauthorize the financial transaction, the flowchart 900 may proceed tostep 907 a. Otherwise, the flowchart 900 may proceed to step 907 b. Ifthe computing device determines to authorize the transaction, theflowchart proceeds to step 907 a, which may be the same or similar asstep 406 a of FIG. 4. Otherwise, the flowchart proceeds to step 907 b,which may be the same or similar as step 406 b of FIG. 4.

Transaction Metadata-Enabled Dispute and Fraud Claim Resolution

Discussion will now turn to ways in which transaction metadata may bestored and used to later address fraud claims related to historicaltransactions. This process may allow for consumers to raise transactiondisputes and thereby access additional quantities of data about a pasttransaction.

As a preliminary introduction to FIG. 10, various individuals maydispute the validity of past transactions. Such disputes may be resolvedthrough further analysis of transactions, and in particular furtherprocessing of transaction metadata (e.g., processing of transactionmetadata that might not have been processed when the transaction wasinitially approved). For example, where an initial authorization processmight have only validated and processed a fraction of transactionmetadata, a dispute might suggest it would be beneficial to latervalidate and process all portions of the same transaction metadata. Assuch, it may be useful to perform additional processing of transactionmetadata responsive to a determination that a corresponding transactionmay be alleged to be fraudulent.

FIG. 10 shows a flowchart 1000 showing steps for addressing disputeswith transactions using transaction metadata. The flowchart 1000 may beperformed by one or more computing devices, such as those depicted inFIG. 3. The steps shown in FIG. 10 may be all or portions of analgorithm. A computing device may comprise one or more processors andmemory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the performance of all or portions of the steps ofFIG. 10.

In step 1001, transaction metadata comprising one or more data elementscorresponding to one or more attributes of a financial transaction maybe received. Such a step may be performed by, e.g., one or more portionsof the data share platform 350. The transaction metadata may have beenreceived via a first interface and from a merchant device. Thetransaction metadata may be associated with a concurrent transmission ofpayment information, for the financial transaction, to a paymentprocessing service. This step may be the same or similar as step 401 ofFIG. 4.

In step 1002, a first portion of the transaction metadata may be testedbased on one or more criteria. Such a step may be performed by, e.g.,one or more portions of the data share platform 350. Testing thetransaction metadata may comprise selecting a portion of the one or moredata elements to test using the one or more criteria. Testing the firstportion of the metadata may be the same or similar as the validation andprocessing steps described with respect to step 402 of FIG. 4.

In step 1003, a decision may be made as to whether to authorize thefinancial transaction based on the tested first portion of thetransaction metadata and based on authorization information thatindicates processing of the payment information by the paymentprocessing service. Such a step may be performed by, e.g., one or moreportions of the decision engine 370. The authorization information maycorrespond to the financial transaction. The authorization informationmay be received from the payment processing service. This step may bethe same or similar as step 405 of FIG. 4. If the computing devicedetermines to authorize the financial transaction, the flowchart 1000may proceed to step 1004 a. Otherwise, the flowchart 1000 may proceed tostep 1004 b. If the computing device determines to authorize thetransaction, the flowchart proceeds to step 1004 a, which may be thesame or similar as step 406 a of FIG. 4. Otherwise, the flowchartproceeds to step 1004 b, which may be the same or similar as step 406 bof FIG. 4.

In step 1005, an indication of a dispute and/or fraud claim associatedwith the financial transaction may be received from a computing device.Such a step may be performed by, e.g., one or more portions of the datashare platform 350. The indication of the dispute and/or fraud claimassociated with the financial transaction may correspond to a userdisputing a validity of the financial transaction. For example, a usermight have forgotten that they approved a financial transaction, andmight later send a merchant a dispute of and/or fraud claim associatedwith the transaction. In such a circumstance, the user might bemistaken, and the information contained in transaction metadata mighthelp remedy such confusion. Such an indication need not be in anyparticular format or style.

A dispute and/or fraud claim for a financial transaction may indicate,in whole or in part, that validation and/or processing of transactionmetadata was, in some way, deficient or incorrect. This mightparticularly be the case where, for example, the first portion of thetransaction metadata tested in step 1002 was too small, simplistic, orotherwise not sufficiently probative of transaction validity, where thetransaction metadata misrepresented the transaction, where goods and/orservices indicated by the transaction metadata were not in factprovided, or the like. For example, a dispute may correspond to a goodor service not being received, whereas a fraud claim may correspond to atransaction being wholly or partially fraudulent. Along those lines,should such transaction metadata be processed using a machine learningalgorithm, disputes related to such transactions may be used as trainingdata to indicate that processing may have been inadequate.

In step 1006, a second portion of the transaction metadata may betested. Such a step may be performed by, e.g., one or more portions ofthe data share platform 350. Testing the second portion of the metadatamay be the same or similar as the validation and processing stepsdescribed with respect to step 402 of FIG. 4. The second portion of thetransaction metadata may be tested in response to receiving theindication of the dispute and/or fraud claim associated with thefinancial transaction. For example, based on receiving the disputeand/or fraud claim, the transaction might be tested using moretime-consuming but probative criteria in order to determine if thetransaction might, in fact, have been fraud. The second portion of thetransaction metadata may be determined based on the indication of thedispute and/or fraud claim associated with the financial transaction.For example, a fraud claim might suggest that the transaction wasperformed in a foreign country, and the second portion of thetransaction metadata might relate to the geographical location of thetransaction. The tested second portion of the transaction metadata mayindicate a validity of the financial transaction. In other words, thetested second portion of the transaction metadata might indicate thecorrectness of the dispute and/or fraud claim.

The second portion of the transaction metadata may be received fromoutside sources, such as the merchant device. For example, as indicatedby optional step 1009, the second portion of the transaction metadatamay be received from the merchant device and after receiving theindication of the dispute associated with the financial transaction fromthe computing device. For example, based on a dispute received from acustomer, a merchant might provide additional information about thetransaction that is probative as to the validity of the transaction.

In step 1007, a decision may be made as to whether an issue is detectedwith respect to the transaction based on the tested second portion ofthe transaction metadata, the tested first portion of the transactiondata, and/or based on authorization information that indicatesprocessing of the payment information by the payment processing service.Such a step may be performed by, e.g., one or more portions of thedecision engine 370. Such issues may comprise instances of potentialfraud or other similar transaction problems which might merit atransaction chargeback, write-off, or the like. In other words, thedecision may comprise looking for reasons why a change may be requiredwith respect to the transaction. If an issue is detected, the flow chartmay proceed to step 1008 a. Otherwise, the flow chart may proceed tostep 1008 b.

In step 1008 a, the system may initiate a chargeback or write-off basedon the issue detected in step 1007. In other words, step 1008 a maycorrespond to a circumstance where an issue has been found, and stepsmust be taken to rectify the identified issue.

In contrast, in step 1008 b, the system may transmit a denial (e.g., tothe source where the indication of the fraud claim or dispute wasreceived in step 1005) and/or may initiate a rebill (e.g., if the userhad been improperly refunded). For example, as part of step 1008 b, auser might be provided an indication that the transaction appearslegitimate.

Examples of Payment Information and Transaction Metadata

FIG. 11 depicts an example of the difference between payment information1101 and transaction metadata 1102. Such information is illustrative,and is depicted to illustrate the two in comparison.

The payment information 1101 comprises a credit card number 1103 a, aCVV, and a total payment amount 1103 c. Such information may be thetraditional information provided to a payment processing service. Asindicated by FIG. 11, such information is typically quite limited, andhas limited use in determining the validity of a financial transaction.

The transaction metadata 1102 comprises a listing of goods and services1104 a, a listing of the prices of those goods and services 1104 b, atransaction location 1104 c, a user device IP address 1104 d, and a userdevice MAC address 1104 e. The listing of goods and services 1104 a andthe list of the prices of those goods and services 1104 b, as indicatedabove, may be used to determine whether a transaction is fraudulent. Forexample, the purchase of a large quantity of gift cards may indicate atransaction may be fraudulent. The transaction location 1104 c, the userdevice IP address 1104 d, and the user device MAC address 1104 e may beused as indicators of whether an authorized user conducted atransaction. For example, transactions originating in unexpectedcountries and/or from unexpected devices (e.g., a new laptop connectedto the Internet in a café in an unexpected foreign country) might not betrusted as compared to transactions originating in expected countriesand from devices known to be associated with a known customer.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method for providinginformation corresponding to one or more reasons relating to anauthorization decision for a payment card transaction between a merchantand a user, the method comprising: receiving, by a computing device andfrom a merchant device via a first application programming interface(API), supplemental transaction metadata comprising one or more dataelements corresponding to one or more attributes of the payment cardtransaction, wherein the supplemental transaction metadata is associatedwith a concurrent transmission of payment card information, for thepayment card transaction, by the merchant device to a payment processingservice; storing, by the computing device and in a database, at least aportion of the supplemental transaction metadata; receiving, by thecomputing device and from the payment processing service via a secondinterface different from the first API, payment card authorizationinformation corresponding to the payment card transaction, wherein thepayment card authorization information indicates whether the paymentcard information was approved by the payment processing service;determining, by the computing device, based on timing requirements ofthe payment processing service, and based on the supplementaltransaction metadata received from the merchant device and the paymentcard authorization information received from the payment processingservice, whether the payment card transaction is authorized;determining, by the computing device, one or more reasons why thepayment card transaction was or was not authorized; sending, by thecomputing device, to the merchant device, and based on the payment cardauthorization information and the supplemental transaction metadata, anauthorization decision indicating whether the payment card transactionwas authorized; receiving, by the computing device and from the merchantdevice, a request for additional information, wherein the request foradditional information comprises a reference ID; determining informationcorresponding to the determined one or more reasons by retrieving, fromthe database and based on the reference ID, the at least the portion ofthe supplemental transaction metadata; and sending, by the computingdevice, to the merchant device, and in response to the request foradditional information, the information corresponding to the determinedone or more reasons.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining theinformation corresponding to the determined one or more reasonscomprises querying the database using the reference ID.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the reference ID uniquely identifies the payment cardtransaction.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the informationcorresponding to the determined one or more reasons comprises:obfuscating, from the information, personal data.
 5. The method of claim1, further comprising: receiving credentials unique to the merchant,wherein sending the information corresponding to the determined one ormore reasons is based on authenticating the credentials.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein determining whether the payment card transaction isauthorized comprises determining that the payment card transaction is inan untrusted location, and wherein the determined one or more reasonsindicate the untrusted location.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein theinformation corresponding to the determined one or more reasonsindicates that a user associated with the payment card transaction isnot permitted to use a payment method corresponding to the payment cardinformation.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplementaltransaction metadata comprises information regarding one or more itemsto be purchased via the payment card transaction, and wherein thedetermined one or more reasons are based on one or more of: an identityof the one or more items; a quantity of the one or more items; whetherthe one or more items comprise a gift card; a price associated with theone or more items; or whether the one or more items are regularlyordered by a customer associated with the payment card information. 9.The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the payment cardtransaction is authorized comprises determining that the payment cardtransaction is associated with delivery of an item to a location, andwherein the determined one or more reasons comprise an indication of thelocation.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment processingservice is a payment network associated with the payment cardinformation.
 11. A data share computing device configured to provideinformation corresponding to one or more reasons relating to anauthorization decision for a payment card transaction between a merchantand a user, the data share computing device comprising: one or moreprocessors, and memory storing instructions that, when executed by oneor more processors, cause the data share computing device to: receive,from a merchant device and via a first application programming interface(API), supplemental transaction metadata comprising one or more dataelements corresponding to one or more attributes of the payment cardtransaction, wherein the supplemental transaction metadata is associatedwith a concurrent transmission of payment card information, for thepayment card transaction, by the merchant device to a payment processingservice; store, in a database, at least a portion of the supplementaltransaction metadata; receive, via a second interface different from thefirst API and from the payment processing service, payment cardauthorization information corresponding to the payment card transaction,wherein the payment card authorization information indicates whether thepayment card information was approved by the payment processing service;determine, based on timing requirements of the payment processingservice and based on the supplemental transaction metadata received fromthe merchant device and the payment card authorization informationreceived from the payment processing service, whether the payment cardtransaction is authorized; determine one or more reasons why the paymentcard transaction was or was not authorized; send, to the merchant deviceand based on the payment card authorization information and thesupplemental transaction metadata, an authorization decision indicatingwhether the payment card transaction was authorized; receive, from themerchant device, a request for additional information, wherein therequest for additional information comprises a reference ID; determineinformation corresponding to the determined one or more reasons byretrieving, from the database and based on the reference ID, the atleast the portion of the supplemental transaction metadata; and send, tothe merchant device and in response to the request for additionalinformation, the information corresponding to the determined one or morereasons.
 12. The data share computing device of claim 11, wherein theinstructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause thedata share computing device to determine the information correspondingto the determined one or more reasons by querying the database using thereference ID.
 13. The data share computing device of claim 11, whereinthe reference ID uniquely identifies the payment card transaction. 14.The data share computing device of claim 11, wherein the instructions,when executed by the one or more processors, cause the data sharecomputing device to send the information corresponding to the determinedone or more reasons by causing the data share computing device to:obfuscate, from the information, personal data.
 15. The data sharecomputing device of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed bythe one or more processors, cause the data share computing device to:receive credentials unique to the merchant, wherein the instructions,when executed by the one or more processors, cause the data sharecomputing device to send the information corresponding to the determinedone or more reasons based on authenticating the credentials.
 16. One ormore non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that,when executed by one or more processors, cause a computing device toprovide information corresponding to one or more reasons relating to anauthorization decision for a payment card transaction between a merchantand a user by causing the computing device to perform steps comprising:receiving, by the computing device and from a merchant device via afirst application programming interface (API), supplemental transactionmetadata comprising one or more data elements corresponding to one ormore attributes of the payment card transaction, wherein thesupplemental transaction metadata is associated with a concurrenttransmission of payment card information, for the payment cardtransaction, by the merchant device to a payment processing service;storing, by the computing device and in a database, at least a portionof the supplemental transaction metadata; receiving, by the computingdevice and from the payment processing service via a second interfacedifferent from the first API, payment card authorization informationcorresponding to the payment card transaction, wherein the payment cardauthorization information indicates whether the payment card informationwas approved by the payment processing service; determining, by thecomputing device, based on timing requirements of the payment processingservice, and based on the supplemental transaction metadata receivedfrom the merchant device and the payment card authorization informationreceived from the payment processing service, whether the payment cardtransaction is authorized; determining, by the computing device, one ormore reasons why the payment card transaction was or was not authorized;sending, by the computing device, to the merchant device, and based onthe payment card authorization information and the supplementaltransaction metadata, an authorization decision indicating whether thepayment card transaction was authorized; receiving, by the computingdevice and from the merchant device, a request for additionalinformation, wherein the request for additional information comprises areference ID; determining information corresponding to the determinedone or more reasons by retrieving, from the database and based on thereference ID, the at least the portion of the supplemental transactionmetadata; and sending, by the computing device, to the merchant device,and in response to the request for additional information, theinformation corresponding to the determined one or more reasons.
 17. Thecomputer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the instructions, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, further cause the computingdevice to determine the information corresponding to the determined oneor more reasons by causing the computing device to query the databaseusing the reference ID.
 18. The computer-readable media of claim 16,wherein reference ID uniquely identifies the payment card transaction.19. The computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the instructions,when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the computingdevice to send the information corresponding to the determined one ormore reasons by: obfuscating, from the information, personal data. 20.The computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the instructions, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, further cause the computingdevice to perform steps comprising: receiving credentials unique to themerchant, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, further cause the computing device to send the informationcorresponding to the determined one or more reasons based onauthenticating the credentials.